Where Worlds Collide
by romeothewriter
Summary: One refuses to believe that love exists. The other refuses to believe it does not. One has given up on a purpose. The other has given up on denying her purpose. What happens when their worlds collide, and one must keep their true identity from the other? Does love prove itself to be more than just an urban legend or will her conclusion of the myth ring true? AU Bechloe
1. Nightmares

**_A/N: Welcome Back! So this is NOT the sequel to "Rebel with a Voice" yet, but this was prompted by one of my loyal followers, and I really loved the concept, so here we are. I've been working on the foundation all day, and I told you I wouldn't be gone too long lol. So let's take off on a new ride together. Enjoy!_**

* * *

It's a cruel world that we live in, and growing up on the streets will harden you into cold stone. Growing up in an orphanage has the same outcome. With only your twin brother beside you, it becomes an everyday struggle to deal with internal battles when the external battles are so time-consuming and exhausting. She had been dropped off with her brother on the doorstep of Barden Mills Orphanage just a few days old. They grew up there, but the orphanage struggled to feed all of the children it housed. She and her brother would run away sometimes, living on the streets and finding their own way. She always tried to avoid the questions that always seemed to pop in her mind. Why had her mother left them? Why had they not been good enough to keep? Why had she abandoned her children? Make no mistake. She was not weak. As the older of the twins, she had taken it upon herself to be the mother and father figure to them both. To their caretakers, they were just another government check, nothing more. They rarely remembered their names. Her brother was small, goofy, dorky. He believed in fantasies and happy endings, enthralled with movies. She was a realist. She was smaller than him but stronger, more solid, colder in so many ways. She caused chaos just so that she didn't have to deal with the truth. Her mother was not coming back for them. She didn't care enough to keep them in the first place. Why would she come back? It didn't matter to them anymore. Beca had Jesse. Jesse had Beca. That was all that mattered.

At sixteen, she was swept into the life of a Marine, and her brother followed. They fought a war raging in the middle east, and they returned home heroes at age twenty although the world was falling apart. America had fallen victim to its most persistent and elusive terrorist to date, the drug trade. Syndicates ruled the nation, thousands of law enforcement agents on their payroll. Children no older than thirteen were running around with drugs and guns, trying to make ends meet for their families and earn some respect in the process. When Jesse and Beca came home, they were quickly thrown into a brand new life, the life of SWAT team officers. With Beca as captain and Jesse as Sergeant, they joined two kids that they had grown up with in the orphanage and started a team. Stacie and Luke had been closest to them out of all of the kids in that place, and the moment they had heard the twins were back in Barden, they had sent for them. Beca wanted nothing more than to help get the drug trade under control, to save people, to be good enough for someone since she had never been good enough for her parents. Maybe then someone would want to keep her, and someone did. The SWAT team did, but it could never be that easy. As the team gave her so much, it also took from her the one most important thing that she had.

Beca jolted forward in bed, nearly toppling onto the floor, fists clenching around the bed sheets in desperation. The clock on the nightstand read three a.m. The nightmares had come again, infesting her mind and causing her to force herself to wake up. She had mastered it in the last three years. She was drenched in a cold sweat, breathing heavily as she tried to shake the images from her head. It was then she recalled what day it was. No wonder this particular nightmare had been so ruthlessly vivid. It had happened every year since that fateful day. Stacie sat up beside her now, rubbing her back softly.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice laced thick with sleep.

"It's, uh, no, it's nothing," Beca managed, already pulling the sheets off of nude body and dangling her legs over the edge.

"You don't have to lie to me, B. I know what day it is too."

"I just-fuck!"

She roared in anguish now, dropping her head into her hands. Stacie swung her long legs over so that Beca was positioned between them, and she kissed the captain's shoulder gently.

"He's gone," the smaller woman breathed now. "Isn't he? And it's my fault."

"B, it wasn't your fault. We've talked about this."

"But every time I see it in my head, I see a new way to help him. I should have gone in sooner."

"Okay, B, listen to me. Jesse took that undercover gig of his own accord. He knew the risk. We all did, and he knew that we couldn't pull him out during that raid."

"They said it was a fuckin' FBI agent that shot him though. They wouldn't even give me a name! I don't even know if they paid for it! He was one of us, Stace! They shouldn't have fired! He wasn't even armed at the time! They took my brother."

"I understand that, B, but you have to understand too that it was not your fault. You can't beat yourself up over this."

She was sure she understood. Yet every time the shorter brunette closed her eyes, she saw the scene unfold before her. She saw Jesse in that warehouse with those goons of the Troublemaker Syndicate, playing as one of them. She could remember laying on the rooftop of the adjacent building, sniper rifle trained on the entrance. She then remembered the FBI sabotaging their case and going in, shooting on sight and killing her brother before he had a chance to flash his credentials. Bumper Allen had walked free that day. The warehouse was clean, and the FBI had ruined a year-long case for the SWAT team and DEA. Ever since, the nightmares had plagued her. Ever since, all she saw was her brother when she closed her eyes or looked in a mirror, and ever since then, she had been colder than ever before just when no one thought it was possible. The only thing warm in her life was her bed, and that was only when Stacie occupied it with her like tonight.

"B, you have to move on," Stacie hissed softly now. "That's what he would want. He would want us to continue this case and bring Allen to justice. He would want you to keep pushing because you never give up. You've always been the strongest even growing up. You always will be."  
"Yeah, but I had my brother growing up."

"You still have him, just in a different form."

Stacie kissed her neck softly, knowing where to touch, where to delicately press her lips to or flick her tongue at in order to calm the captain down. Only she knew those places. Only she was allowed inside the realm of Beca Mitchell, and she took full advantage.

As Stacie nipped at the skin over her pulse point, Beca suddenly whipped around, pinning Stacie on her back. The kisses that followed were desperate, hungry, bruising, but Stacie knew how to handle it. Beca would always use their time in bed together to release all of her stress and anger and raw rage, and Stacie understood. It was what she had expected the first night Beca had taken her on her office desk in the precinct just weeks after Jesse passed, her first night back. She tangled her finger's in the captain's chocolate tresses, moaning aloud as Beca ravaged her. Yeah, this was her place as Beca's best friend. They had each other's backs in uniform, and out of uniform, they put each other on their backs. The truth was that Stacie would do anything for the fearless leader she had grown to cherish.

A sleepless night was routine at this point. Beca walked into the underground precinct that looked like a simple business office beneath the Sheriff's department ten minutes late, but no one questioned her. The commander had suggested she take the day off. He didn't expect her to take it. She never did, but he asked regardless just to make sure. She was the best officer he had at only twenty-four, and she was all about her work. He wouldn't expect that to change anytime soon. Usually, a captain was a desk job, but Beca refused to take such an occupation. She needed to be in the field with her team, and the force had respected that because they couldn't deny that the ex-marine was their best.

Luke held up a coffee to her as she entered their offices, and she patted his shoulder. There was a stack of documents on her desk, and she pulled them towards her.

"Luke, where are the others?" she asked.

"They're on their way," he replied, not looking up from his computer screen as he typed. "We'll go over those files together."  
Just as the words left his lips, Stacie, Cynthia Rose and Amy walked in with Lily in tow. Beca picked up the folders from her desk and led them into their briefing room. The bags under her eyes told her team that she had in fact been restless another year, and Stacie had seen it first hand. Beca had insisted she leave without her that morning, and it was captain's order. They gathered around the table now, looking over the documentation.

"Okay," she sighed. "What do we have here, Luke?"

The sergeant picked up his copy of the first documentation and opened it up.

"Well, this first unsub is Kimmy Jin," he began. "She's believed to be performing hits for the Troublemakers worldwide. They have also had this Barb character taking in shipments. No one really expects a woman, right? But aside from that, Bumper has taken full control of the entire operation as his father was killed in New Delhi two days ago."

"That means trouble of course. The guy's a psychopath."

"Yeah, well, he has a contact in the middle east believed to go by the alias 'Donald Grey'. We're still looking into that."

"They've infested the entire city."

"Yeah, and these are only a few players. His roster stretches for miles."

Before Beca could move on to the next document, Sheriff Everdeen and SWAT Commander Evans entered the briefing room.

"Mitchell, we need you guys online," he reported. "Hostage situation. Coordinates are in your devices. Move out."

The team was in the back of a SWAT van within minutes, suiting up in their gear. Lily was their most potent sniper. Amy was their explosives and detonation specialist. Cynthia Rose was their muscle up front, a prior criminal turned SWAT special operations officer. Beca led traffic. Luke was data detail, and Stacie always had Beca's back as her active lieutenant. She was usually the one prompt intel, using the charm to make tongues work. They pulled on their kevlar vests and masks, loading up their weapons. Amy drove towards the location on the GPS.

"We have a hostage situation at a known Troublemaker's home," Luke explained as the full briefing came onto his laptop. "Local police went in for a routine raid. Officer was shot by suspect, and there is no status on the other officer. They have a blockade from Weston to Emerson and Emerson to Philadelphia. We need to meet up with Police Chief Caine."

When they arrived on scene, the police had the place surrounded. Ashley Carter, a well-known negotiator and her wife Jessica, a top-of-the-line detective, were already on scene, and Ashley was calling into the suspect. Lily made her way up to the roof of the house across the target after evacuating the family. Beca led the others towards Chief Caine.

"Mitchell," he grunted, patting her shoulder.

"What do we got?" she asked.

"We need you out back. From what we can see, he has at least six people in the basement. This includes our officers, his wife, his son, and the next door-neighbor's two children."

"Armed?"

"To the teeth."

"No problem."

Beca and her detail rounded the street, watching for any signs of other Troublemakers on scene. The neighborhood had been thoroughly evacuated however. They entered the alley behind the house, and now, Beca was wide awake. This was what she lived for, to help people, to know that at least someone would find her to be enough, to be relevant to their lives. She only strived to make her brother proud, to prevent his death from being one in vain.

She held up a fist outside the brick wall separating the house from the alley, her team stopping. She ordered Amy to the right and Cynthia Rose to the left, Luke and and Stacie flanking her widely to cover all spaces.

"Do we have an eye on suspect?" she called into her radio.

"No, still in the basement," Lily returned in a low whisper.

She nodded at her team, flashing two fingers forward, and they hopped over the wall one by one. The backyard was covered in a bunch of junk ranging from wood to old bicycles to car parts and metal sheets. The team spread out, awaiting the next move from the sheriff as Ashley could be heard in their radios talking with the man.

"We just ask that you let the children go," she was saying.

"I can't-"

"They did nothing wrong here. You don't want that on your conscience, Matthew. Come on. Just allow the children to come out, and we can work through this. I promise you that we just want the children right now. Look at them. They're scared. Your son looks up to you, and you're scaring him. Please, Matthew, just bring him out."

Always so sweet, so soft with each word. It was why Ashley was the best. Her mellow voice could calm the fiercest of beasts. They heard a sigh at the other end of the call, and the team ducked as the man appeared from the basement with three kids in tow. Beca had them halt, ready to make it inside the moment he closed the door again if Lily didn't have a shot. He opened the door, staying behind it. Smart. There was a pistol in his hand, an automatic rifle slung over his shoulder. The three children rushed out, and Beca burst in, throwing over the back door. The man was startled, trying to aim his pistol, but Beca dodged the bullet, rushing and tackling him. The others were inside in seconds, and Beca flipped the man over roughly before slapping the cuffs on him and jerking him up. Stacie and Cynthia Rose cleared the remainder of the house, gathering the hostages and moving them upstairs. Beca pulled the man outside. That was when the shots went off. Troublemakers had suddenly flooded the area, and Beca ducked right back into the house.

"Luke!" she called. "Get our boy here out to the dogs. He needs to answer some questions, so we need him alive. Team, on me."

Lily was picking off Troublemakers one by one, and once they were occupied with trying to find her on the roof, Beca moved out, taking shots at the crooks with automatic rifles. The fight was over quickly, but leave it up to Troublemakers to believe they could fuck with the police.

"Good job out there, Captain," Sheriff Everdeen said, clapping her shoulder.

"That's the easy kind," Beca replied simply. "That's nothing."

"Of course it isn't."

* * *

It's a cruel world that we live in, and growing up in a happy home made you realize how important love was. Having that happy home torn apart as a teenager or seven-year-old would make or break you. It gave you a choice, to persevere and conquer or to fall upon a much darker path. Although you are left with your little brother, you cannot always lead him. He won't always follow. While she became a doctor at Barden University Medical Center treating drug addicts at age twenty-four, ten years after losing her mother to breast cancer and eight years after losing her father to a drug overdose, her seventeen-year-old brother fell into the life of the syndicate. He had always been a happy kid, playing with action figures and worshipping Star Wars, but somehow, he had been dragged under by outside forces. Bumper Allen and his father Kenny Allen had run the neighborhood, all of Barden really, and her little brother had become mixed up with the wrong crowd. All he had wanted was acceptance, and his sister wasn't enough. She went off to medical school. He started ditching classes without his grandmother's knowledge. She had been sure he would be fine. She had no idea what her brother was into, and it had been months since he had actually had a civil conversation with her. She still had no time to really dwell on it with dozens of addicts being rushed into her wing everyday hanging in the balance between life and death. It was not supposed to turn out this way. Chloe and Benji. Benji and Chloe. That's how it should have been. That's what should have mattered.

"Doctor Beale, we have a man, mid-twenties, possible overdose," the nurse called.

Chloe picked up the charts from the front desk, rushing down the hall as they hauled in the man. She was over him in seconds, ordering the nurses to patch the IV and give her vitals. She was in her zone. She was in deep at hour fifty of seventy-two, but she wasn't worried about it. She never kept track of time when she was working in the hospital, and with every patient she stabilized, the hours were worth it. That was what she wanted. She wanted to help people, people like her father who had fallen victim to the most vicious of killers before realizing what had hit them. The soldiers of the syndicate made her sick. It was why she wouldn't work in the trauma unit tending to their bullet wounds and burnt hands after a gun fight or arson gig. She tended to those who still had a chance, a choice as to what they wished to do, who they wished to be. She wanted them to see that there was another way, so while she fixed them up, she also played motivational speaker.

When the man was at last stabilized, Chloe retreated from the room to find Dr. Kendall at the nurse station. She had taken the young redhead under her wing since the start, and in just six months, Chloe had raised the bar in the medical center. She was requested and beloved by all. They trusted her to make decisions, and she thanked Dr. Kendall extensively.

"How many?" Dr. Kendall asked with a smirk as she did every time she saw how droopy Chloe's eyes were, dark circles surrounding them.

"Fifty," Chloe sighed, dropping the charts on the desk.

"Kid, you have to sleep sometime. Go home. See your brother."

"He doesn't want to see me, and I have no idea why. He's never home."

"Well, you still have to make an effort, make sure he's staying out of trouble."

"Yeah, I'll be sure to do that."

"How long has it been since you've went on a date?"

Chloe giggled. "My first date was my last date, and that was back in high school. Junior year, before I started taking double the med classes to get out early."

"Hey, you got your credentials in only six years. I say you deserve a date or a cuddle."

"Always looking after me, huh, Doc?"

"Someone has to."

* * *

It's a cruel world that we live in, and growing up in a home where perfection was the only option would never let you settle for less again in your life. When failure did occur, it tore you apart. It remained on your conscience like a terminal illness, forever eating at you. She had been drilled by her ex-Marine father since she was old enough to walk, and nothing she did had ever been good enough. When her mother passed away, she was subject to the worst of the worst. It started as simple yelling, a deafening roar that made her head spin. It transitioned into plates and glasses thrown across rooms, smashing against walls before she was prompted to clean it up. It morphed into slaps right across the face with such force that she became nauseous, nervously vomiting for hours after. It soon became fists and rough shoves cracking ribs and a nose, shattering an arm and leaving bruises and scars that would forever remind her that she could not fail. Even then, the only person that could ever appreciate her or be proud of her was her best friend, who herself was going to school to be a doctor. Her best friend had lost her loving parents at fourteen and sixteen, and her best friend still managed to be bright and bubbly at all times. Sometimes, she wished it had been her father instead of her second family that had been taken away. Most times.

When she joined the police force, it was easy. She was at her best at all times, a flawless record. They soon moved her up to the Federal Bureau investigation, and she was working in the depths of the drug trade, going as far as an undercover mission at just twenty-one. She had dyed her honey blonde hair to dark burgundy, covering her usual emerald green eyes with brown contacts. It was then that everything changed for her. They had disrupted a SWAT operation, and she had accidentally shot an undercover officer. She had been undercover for several months, and she was sure they had finally cracked down on Bumper Allen's business. She had never known that one of his closest men was undercover SWAT, and she had shot him as her team swept in and began shooting on sight. Undercover SWAT wasn't orthodox. Therefore, it wasn't possible in her eyes. Yet, it had happened. He had truly been an officer. It had been three years, and still she had not forgiven herself. She knew nothing about the man, but she knew that she had misread everything. She had screwed up, and it had nearly costed her her job. It had certainly costed him his life. She had only just made her way back on the front lines in those three years, but on that day, she murdered a brother, and Bumper had walked free. Now, she was back in her element, working her ass off to take him down.

Aubrey jolted up in bed. It was like this around this time of year every year as the events came back to her. The shooting was forever etched in her mind like a mural. Chloe came into the room when she heard the blonde screaming, and she handed her a mug of tea as always.

"The same?" she asked, and Aubrey nodded.

"I just-" she choked out. "He died, and it was all my fault."

"Bree, you can't keep doing this to yourself. We talked about this. You didn't know."

"But I should have looked closer. We let Bumper walk that day because _my _intel was wrong. He died for nothing. You know, I was gonna go to the funeral, but when I heard he had a twin sister on the force from Amy, I just couldn't. I couldn't face her, and I'm a coward."

"He was undercover, Bree. Everyone with a badge knows the dangers, the possibilities."

"My father was so-"

"Don't go there. Don't. You know how he is, and you have to stop letting him run your life and make you feel the way he does. You're a great agent, and anyone in the department can vouch for that. You made a mistake, but they didn't give you a second chance for no reason. They know what you're capable of."

"Thanks, Chlo. What time do you have to be at the hospital."

"Seven."

"Are you tired?"

"No, I slept all day."

"Let's go get some breakfast."

"Bree, it's three in the morning."

"That's why Denny's is open twenty-four hours."

"Tell us what you know!" Detective Jessica Carter screamed.

"Fuck you, pig," the Troublemaker yelled back.

"Matthew, if you ever want to see your son again, you'll start talking."

Beca, Luke, Commander Evans and Stacie watched from the other side of the two-way mirror. Sheriff Everdeen sipped his coffee slowly behind them, exhaustion gracing his features.

"We've been at it for sixteen hours," he sighed.

"He won't talk that easily," Beca replied. "He knows the costs. Bumper would have him killed the moment he walks out of this building."

"Oh, he won't walk."

"Then Bumper's prison welcoming party will do him in the minute he arrives."

"We need him to talk."

"We have to strike him a deal."

"DA's working on it."

Ashley entered the room now, running a hand threw her wavy brown hair and handing out coffees. Beca gave her a nod.

"What do you think?" she asked them.

"I think he's gonna sow his mouth shut pretty soon," Beca returned.

"We need something."

Jessica walked out of the interrogation room now, her face flushed in irritation.

"He isn't talking," she told him.

"Get him back in the cell," the sheriff huffed. "We pick it up in the morning."

The following morning found Beca beating the hell out of a heavy bag outside of her condo. She was laying into it mercilessly as Stacie and Cynthia Rose approached.

"Captain," Cynthia Rose called.

Beca's arms fell limp at her side, her breathing labored as she turned to them clad in shorts and a sports bra. They took in the flush of her cheeks, the sweat glistening off of bulging biceps and chiseled abs, the flash in her eyes. Her brunette locks were pulled back in a messy ponytail, and they knew she still had not slept well.

"Commander needs us down at the precinct ASAP," she reported. "We tried to call you."

Beca nodded, taking the tape off of her hands before returning inside to dress. She washed up quickly, pulling on a white t-shirt and jeans. She grabbed her gun and badge before walking outside to meet the girls again. They all headed down to the precinct together. When they arrived at the department, they found Everdeen in the interrogation room with Jessica and Ashley once more. He had a look of determination in his eyes, and Beca mirrored it.

"He talked," he said simply, and Beca awaited details. "Bumper has set up a route between here and Miami where he has shipments coming in. The FBI detained seven of his main operators on the line, and none of them have talked yet, but this guy says that Bumper's in Cuba as we speak making orders. Tonight, he has it all coming into a warehouse on Grant and Terrace. We don't want to cause a riot if we're wrong, so we're sending you in. I need this as stealthy as possible because if we let them know we're there too early, they'll redirect the shipment. Do you understand?"

"Understood, sir," Beca returned.

"Very well. Arrival time 2000 hours."

"Got it."

Beca made her way down to the gun locker where Luke was currently training the new recruits in the art of cleaning their weaponry. He grinned at her, stepping away from his students.

"They let you know about the night?" he asked in his thick British accent.

"Yup," she replied with a nod. "You good to go."

"Most certainly. Just finished some modifications to Lily's rifle. We have the place mapped out already. Amy has them."

"Thanks. I'll see you in a bit."

"You got it, captain."

As Beca entered Amy's office, the large Aussie was sorting through documents on her desk.

"Aye, Cap!" she greeted with a grin. "You ready?"

"Always," Beca returned, taking the document being handed to her. "This the place?"

"Yes, sir. Lily will be stationed across the street on the rooftop. We'll have backup prompted on Schilling Street two blocks down. We take this alley, break through the irrigation line there. Team Bravo will come from the opposite direction."

"Okay, that's good. Be suited by 1900."

"Copy that."

Beca retired into her office then, studying the documents and briefing from the commander. She knew she needed to rest if she wanted to be at her best, so after a few minutes of reading the same line over and over, she returned back home, falling into her bed after setting her alarm. She was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

* * *

"Posen, call it off," the chief called over to her.

"What do you mean 'call it off'?" she asked.

"SWAT team's on it, and we'll be on backup," he replied. "They want stealth."

"Does this have anything to do with my-"

"No, Posen, it does not. They have the intel. We have a hunch. They're taking it, and we can't do anything until the sheriff gives the okay. Therefore, we'll be waiting out back for them to bring us in. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir."

* * *

When Beca woke up, she took a hot shower, allowing her muscles to relax a moment. As she did so, she felt warm hands slide along her shoulder blades. She only smirked as Stacie ran her hands down her arms then her sides.

"No pleasure before business," Beca chided softly. "You know that."

"I just came to shower," the taller brunette replied.

"That's how it always starts ever since the day in the office. I have a feeling that your hot water heater wasn't out that first time."

"Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't. Are you complaining?"

"Not at all."

"Good."

Beca arrived at the precinct with Stacie at seven. They made their way down to retrieve their weapons and kevlar suits. Beca pulled her mask down around her neck. She always wore the mask no matter what. It made her feel safer though it wasn't as if she feared anything. She had lost her twin brother, and she could still feel him at all times. What was there left to be afraid of?

The team loaded up into the back of their signature van, their secondary SWAT team loading up in the van right behind theirs. Luke handed around headsets as they slid on their helmets and loaded their weapons. Beca kept a knife on her hip, a knife that Jesse had given her back on their first tour in Afghanistan. They had always known that there would always be danger. Jesse had taken the last name "Swanson" when they joined the force so that just in case one of them was ever targeted, they wouldn't be so easily linked to the other. He had always used fantasy, movie logic, and though it annoyed Beca to no end, it was rare that he was wrong.

She slid her earpiece in, testing microphones and sliding on her glasses. Her main weapon, a modified shotgun sat in her lap. She looked over at Amy, who was already in the driver's seat.

"1700," she said. "Move out."

* * *

Jessica felt she was going to get no further with Matthew Tisdale. She sighed heavily, and he smirked at her.  
"So is my deal good?" he asked.

"You little shit," she scoffed. "You think you're getting a deal after all this? We played guessing game for forty-eight hours. You'll be sent to a federal institution if that warehouse is wrong, but you're not walking."

He grinned wider, and Jessica wasn't sure what to think. "Well then, I'm glad that my buddies called before you scooped me up. They'll be waiting for your pigs tonight."

Jessica's eyes widened, but she quickly recovered. "You're bluffing."

"We'll see."

"Officer, take him back to the cell."

Before the officer at the door could move, Jessica was out the door, hurrying towards the commander's office and praying the SWAT team had not arrived at the warehouse yet. She burst through his door, panting hard.

"Detective?" He quirked an eyebrow.

"It's a setup."

Beca moved down the alley, jumping the irrigation ditch and waving her team forward. Stacie kept herself turned at an angle to watch all sides. When they reached the building, she could see Lily taking her position on the adjacent roof. Luke rounded her side to check corners. Cynthia Rose brought up the rear. Beca could see the Bravo team making their way in their direction across from them. She patted her head to let them know it was clear, and their captain mimicked the action. She waved her team in. They reached the side entrance, Luke sliding a small flexible camera beneath the door. When he assured her it was clear, Stacie opened the door, and Beca led them in, looking both ways first. They found themselves in a small room with a refrigerator and several boxes stacked around. Stacie swiftly cut one box open, and she found only plastic inside. Beca quirked an eyebrow.

"It's way too quiet," she hissed.

She moved forward regardless, Luke once again surveying the area on the other side of the next door with his camera.

"Clear," he whispered, and Stacie opened the door.

They were in a large, dim-lit hall now, and they pressed themselves along the walls. Her radio was crackling, but she heard nothing.  
"Repeat your transmission," she hissed.

Then the message came through clearly. "Fall back! All units fall back! It's a setup!" was followed immediately by a deafening song of gunfire.


	2. Heed The Call

**_A/N: So how did we like that first chapter? Shall I continue? Let me know and I will do as you please! I'm really into it myself, and I promise that things get interesting. I'm writing as I go, and I hope you're willing to take this ride with me. It is simply a story of love and how it can seep into the greatest of defense mechanisms. Beca is at her finest, and Chloe...well, Chloe is always at her finest, so...come on! Try it out and let me know!_**

* * *

Aubrey sat in the surveillance van looking over Denise's shoulder. Denise ran all data detail and mission briefings. SWAT had been in seven minutes now, and they waited patiently for the signal. All radios were tuned to the same channel. Aubrey saw several vans make their way towards the warehouse, and she was getting anxious. There were many of Bumper's young foot soldiers roaming the streets tonight, a light rain falling quietly over Barden. Aubrey kept grabbing at the handle of the pistol on her waist, her fingers twitching. Suddenly, there was yelling in the radios that made every agent cringe.

"Fall back! All units fall back! It's a setup!"

Then there were gunshots ringing around the street.

"We're pinned down!" came another voice. "Alpha team pinned down! East Wing!"

That was the main SWAT unit.

"Bravo team pinned down! West Wing!"

"Alpha team requesting backup!"

That was all Aubrey needed to hear. She was out of the van in moments, pistol drawn. Her team followed close behind, and they moved down into the alley, running the two blocks to the warehouse. They were intercepted by a group of Bumper's thugs, but they were quickly neutralized. They kept moving forward. Aubrey had felt it the moment she had heard that SWAT had received their intel from a Narc. It was the same way she had received her bad intel. Bumper was not a stupid man all of the time. He always knew when one of his own was detained, and he always had a plan.

* * *

Beca dove into another room as Bumper's goons swarmed them. She shot back, hearing a few yelps and groans, but the gunfire never slowed or ceased. Luke and Cynthia Rose were across the hall, and Amy was in the room behind them, shooting in the other direction as they were surrounded. Beca had called for backup five minutes ago.  
"Where the hell is my backup!" she yelled into the radio.

"Backup en route," a firm voice came. "ETA two minutes." A few seconds past, and the voice came again. "Backup pinned down! Bogeys surrounding all entrances! I need air support!"

Lily was now in her own fire fight at the front entrance, but more were showing up by the second. She relayed this to her commanding officers, but the entire area was swarmed. Things were not looking good.

"Amy!" Beca called. "I need some fireworks up here."

"Now we're talking," the blonde returned.

They had never been much of an orthodox team, but then again, they were run by the most unorthodox captain. They played dirty with these street chumps at all times. Amy hurled three grenades in each direction, and the explosions were instantaneous.

"Captain Mitchell!" the commander's voice now came. "You are surrounded. You need to find your way to the roof. The hatch is on the second floor right above the main room. FBI is incoming, but they were stalled. We're gonna have to pull 'em."

"Go ahead. We'll get it."

Beca waved Stacie out, and she burst into the hallway, pressing her body against the wall once more. Amy followed backwards, watching their backs with Cynthia Rose opposite her. Luke asked for the Bravo team's status. They were still pinned down, and the gunshots could be heard from the west wing. Beca peered around the corner, and she could see another group of men waiting on their emergence. Beca held up a hand, letting her team know there were enemies waiting. Amy slyly rolled a smoke bomb in the room, and the moment the room was blanketed in a haze, Beca and the team ran across the room shooting. She took down six guys, Luke and Stacie taking down the other five before following Beca into the stairwell.

"Lily, I need eyes on that second window," Beca ordered.

"Bogeys entering the stairwell," Lily instantly replied. Beca could hear them in the stairwell now, and the team halted where they were. When the men stampeded into view, they were met with flurries of gunshots. They then ascended once more, and Lily began shooting into the building at those remaining.

"Bravo team, what's your status?" Beca called.

"Bravo team, second floor of west wing, pinned down," Captain Davries replied.

"We're coming in. Hold tight."

"Cap, we're supposed to-"

"They're SWAT. We don't leave men behind."

They rushed forward, following their captain onto the second floor landing and through the door. They shot down the last of the enemies before reloading their weapons. They could hear gunfire close, and Beca rushed towards it.

"Amy, grenade," she hissed.

Amy placed a grenade in her hands, and she could already see flames bursting in the hallway. There stood a large group of Bumper's goons flowing out of a door to the right. She gently rolled the grenade down to them, the men unaware. Then it exploded, and bodies went flying in every direction.

"Pull out the backup," Beca called into her radio. "We're retrieving Bravo team. Send in EVAC."

Eleven minutes passed, and Beca and the Bravo team met in the middle of a sea of bodies. She turned right back around, and the Bravo team followed closely. They rushed back to the entrance room, finding the ladder leading up to the roof. They made their way out, a helicopter already hovering low over the building. Beca began hoisting the Bravo team up onto the ladder. Then there were shots from below. The helicopter began swaying, and the last of the Bravo team had just hoisted themselves onto the platform.

"I need another EVAC unit!" Beca called.

They were now ducking against the low wall that encased the roof, the helicopter quickly ascending. Lily was shooting down upon the street as Beca assembled her sniper rifle from her original rifle. It had always been her special all-purpose weapon. She leaned over the edge and began raining shots down on the goons below. It took thirteen minutes for another EVAC to come. Lily jumped onto the ladder as it floated over her building towards her team. It didn't land, but Beca helped her team up the ladder before grabbing onto it. She was blown forward by a bullet to the back of her Kevlar vest, but she held on.

"GO!" she yelled up, and the pilot need not be told twice.

At last, Stacie and Luke pulled her onto the helicopter. They had escaped only barely, but she knew there would be a lot of paperwork and finger pointing awaiting them at the precinct.

* * *

"Fuck!" Beca yelled as she ripped off her vest in the locker room." That fuckin' son of a bitch."

"Calm down, Mitchell," Commander Evans sighed.

"We were almost killed, and we didn't get shit out of it!"

"FBI is working on their detainees as we speak."

"They're all okay with lying. The bureau is just as crooked as the others."

"Yeah, we understand that, but we just have to buckle down."

Beca threw a fist into the closest locker, and that's when Commander Evans, who had been like a father to her and Jesse since they joined the team, grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. He could see the rage in her eyes, but when her stormy blue orbs locked on his bright hazel ones, her body visibly relaxed.

"Becs, I know how much you want it," he said softly. "I know how hard this is for you, but we're going to figure this out. We get closer everyday to cracking down, but I need you to stay with me, Cap. I need you to trust in this department, in yourself. I know Jesse did."

"That's what got him killed."

You know that isn't true, Becs. The bureau fucked up, but this is our show now, and we'll haul it in. We'll get him. Just trust us."  
She only nodded before patting his shoulder and walking back to her locker to get her stuff. She pulled on her necklace with both her old dog tags as well as her brothers, which she only took off when she showered either in the locker room or at home. Other than that, they never came off. She then pulled on her plaid shirt and tucked her gun into her belt holster. She grabbed her duffle bag before heading out of the precinct. Stacie was waiting at her truck. They said no words to each other as they entered the vehicle and headed back to the captain's home.

* * *

Aubrey pulled off her vest, tossing it onto the locker room bench. She leaned against the locker a moment before she actually began gathering her things to leave the department building. Chief Caine walked in.

"You okay, Posen?" he asked.

"Yeah, just-a bit shaken up," she replied.

"It was your first time back out. It's normal. You did well out there. Good tactics."

"It'll be a lot of paperwork come the morning."

"Eh, we'll get through it. Just go get some rest. We have those goons to loosen up tomorrow."

"Yes, sir."

After leaving the office, Aubrey made the ten-minute drive to the hospital, picking up coffee and croissants on the way. She knew that Chloe was still at work, and the redhead was probably tired after over sixty hours of work. She parked outside of the narcotic recovery unit and made her way in. The woman at the desk, Andrea, smiled at her as always and directed her towards the break room. She made her way down, opening up the door to find the redhead slumped over the table half asleep.

"Hey there, Doc," she said softly.

Chloe jerked up, and she smiled lazily at the blonde.

"Hey, agent," she replied. "How's it going?"

"Okay, we were set up tonight. Had to fight our way out."

"You need to be careful, Bree."

"Have you talked to Benji?"

"I texted him earlier, told him to meet me for lunch Wednesday. Hopefully he shows this time."

"He's a teenager, Chlo. I'm sure he just doesn't like being checked up on so much."

"Yeah, I guess so, but I just wanna know he's okay. I'm scared to check his grades. For the last year, he's been so-different, and I'm worried."

"Don't worry. Benji's always been a good kid. He'll be fine."

"So, what did you bring me?"

Aubrey chuckled. "Coffee and a croissant."

"Oh, you are the best."

They sat across from each other, Chloe scarfing down her snack and downing her coffee. Before she could start up another conversation however, her pager went off.

"Dammit," she hissed. "I gotta go."

"It's okay," she sighed. "I'll see you in the morning, right?"

"Yup. Ten more hours, and I'm home free."

"Good. good night, Chlo."

"Good night, Bree, and thank you."

"No problem."

* * *

Chloe sat inside the small cafe near Barden High stirring her tea. She had been doing so for the past ten minutes. At last, the bell over the door rang. She looked up to find a tall, lanky boy with curly, light brown hair and dull brown eyes. He trudged over to her table, offering a small smile, and sat across from her.

"Hey, Ben," she greeted with a smile.

"Hey, Chlo," he huffed, asking the waitress that had stepped over for a coke.

"How are you?"

"I'm doing okay. Just fine."

"How's school."

"It's-okay. It's fine."

"That's good. What's been going on?"

"Nothing, why?"

"I'm just trying to catch up on my little brother's life is all."

"Oh okay."

They sat quietly sipping their drinks for a long while, giving the waitress their food orders. Chloe observed the boy before her closely, and she knew he was nervous about something. His leg was shaking, and he continued biting the inside of his cheek.

"Ben, what's wrong?" she finally asked.

"Huh, nothing, why?"

"Well, you just seem-nervous or something."

"Oh no, I'm fine just-big math test tomorrow, you know."

"Ben, have you been going to all of your classes?"

In an instant, the boy's whole demeanor changed. "Yes, Chloe, Jesus!"

"Okay, hey. I'm just asking."

"Well, I told you everything was fine!"

Chloe took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. "Ben, what's going on? What's happening to you? What happened to my goofy kid brother that ran around in a Darth Vader Mask with a light saber? The one playing Dungeons and Dragons in the backyard?"

"That goofy kid grew up."

"Something's going on, and I just want you to talk to me. I'm your sister. We're family, and I love you. I just wanna know what's-"

"Look, if this is what you brought me here for, I'm leaving."

"Benji, just please talk to me."

"Bye, Chloe."

And just like that, he was up and out of the cafe. Chloe watched him in shock, tears already forming in her eyes. She dropped her head in her hands, not understanding what had set him off so quickly. She was deathly worried for the younger boy, and all she wanted to do was help him. She wanted to understand, but he just shut her out. In that way, he was just like their father.

* * *

Commander Evans looked down at the photos that Vice Commander Jones had just thrown onto his desk. Three men lay beheaded, their badges in their mouths, looking wide-eyed at the camera. They looked like statues, but the blood and guts strewn around proved that they were in fact real. It had been a message from the Troublemaker Syndicate. Jones ran a hand through his wavy black hair with a heavy sigh.

"There are so many of them and no openings," he explained. "FBI couldn't hold those goons, and they wouldn't say anything. The only indication of them being Syndicate was that fuckin' tattoo. They're playing us big time."

"I understand that, Vice," Evans sighed. "However, like you said, we have no openings. I don't know where else to turn. We have to start taking them down one by one."

"That will take decades. For every one guy we put away, Bumper hires ten more. We'll never reach him in this lifetime. He's breeding criminals, Jacob! He has children running around with handguns shooting up nightclubs! What the hell do we do with that?"

"We're working through it."

"We need someone inside."

"Leave that up to FBI."

"FBI can't move because Everdeen doesn't trust them as much, and you know that. They have more goons on Bumper's payroll than anyone. They've been infiltrated through and through. You still can't expect me to believe that Swanson's death was an accident, and yet, the agent that killed him is still running our backup unit. Thank God the captain doesn't know."

"Then what do you propose, Jack?"

"We send our best in."

By the glint in his eye, Evans already knew who he was referring to, and he shook his head.

"She'll never agree to that."

"She wouldn't have a choice if we gave the order."

"You think I would give that order?"

"Look, Jacob, I know you have a sweet spot for the kid, but-"

Evans stood up now with haste, leaning over the desk with rage in his eyes. "Her brother was killed undercover, Jack. What would you expect from her?"

"I would expect her to do her job."

"She's doing her job, but her twin brother is dead because we didn't do ours!"

"No, the Bureau didn't do theirs! The least you can do is pitch it to her. We need this, Jacob."

"What if they figure out who she is?"

"How could they? The kids had different last names, and they never released their tie to the public. The obituary stated he had no relatives. Plus, they've never seen her because I don't think _I've _ever seen her outside of that mask."

Evans sighed in resignation, sitting back down in his chair slowly. Jones watched him closely, tapping his fingers on the desk.

"If we don't do something, Jacob, this-" He tapped on the pictures. "Is gonna continue to happen. We need this, and she's the best we have. She can protect herself down there, and her team will be around. I can get her a line in if you get her to agree."

Evans was silent for a long moment, staring at the pictures. He knew that his vice commander was right. He knew that Beca was the best that they had, and no one could execute better than the ex-marine. He had always loved Beca like a daughter because she reminded him so much of his own daughter that committed suicide when she was fifteen. Beca was quiet, reserved. She bottled up emotions, and when they finally came pouring out, they were in the form of chaotic rage and destruction. He had lost count of how many times Beca had strolled out into the middle of danger with a deathwish. Somehow, she always made it back, and she never did seem too happy about it. He wasn't scared of Beca screaming at him that asking her was an outrage. No, he was terrified because he _knew _she would take the job. He knew she would obsess over the job, and there was a very big possibility that she would lose herself in the process. She had grown up on the streets getting into trouble outside of the orphanage, and he felt that maybe she would find that the life in the Syndicate would suit her better than a life behind the badge. He was scared of losing Beca, not just physically, but mentally. Still, he understood what was at stake. Millions of lives were in danger with Bumper moving in on the middle eastern drug exports, and no one held hands more capable than Beca Mitchell. He had to do his job for the greater good, and that was the only logical choice. Then he would have to pray that she returned in all aspects.

"Call her in," he sighed, and Jones nodded curtly before leaving the office.

Beca read the document on her desk once more. The FBI had released all of Bumper's goons, and they had come up empty-handed. Her breath was shallow as her fists clenched, crinkling the edges of the paper. She looked up when there was a knock on her door. She waved Vice Commander Jones in from the side window. He stood in the doorway a moment.

"Commander needs to see you," he then said after surveying her a moment.

She nodded, standing up and following the man out of the office. They trumped down the hall towards the Commander's office at the back of the room. When they entered, Evans was sat behind his desk staring at a collage of pictures across it. Beca took the seat opposite him while Jones stood at the door. Evans looked up at her, and Beca could see a slew of different emotions in his soft hazel eyes. She conveyed none whatsoever, awaiting his words.

"Mitchell," he said sternly, and Beca knew that whatever it was was serious because of the tone and use of her surname rather than his nickname for her. "What I am about to ask of you is something I would never ask of you if I had any other option. Do you see these?" He pointed at the pictures on his desk, and she nodded. "These are officers that were killed by Kimmy Jin, and these photos were sent to the sheriff. We have no other leads as of now, and we don't know where else to go. I know this is hard, and I understand if you-"

"Commander Evans," she interjected now. "Let's talk business. I do my job. That's what I'm here for. Just give it to me straight."

He sighed. "Okay, we need you to go undercover."

Beca's eyes widened a moment before she resumed her usual lifeless expression. "Okay."

"That's it?" He had not meant to ask the question.

"It's my job, commander. We have lives at stake."

He eyed her a moment now before speaking. "Good then. We'll still have the team around you. Vice Commander Jones will be handling it from here."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Chloe arrived home after her brother walking out on her to find Aubrey in the kitchen eating soup. Chloe immediately knew that something was wrong because the blonde only ate soup when she had been stress vomiting all day. Chloe set her bag down on the table and sat across from her best friend.

"What is it?" she asked.

"SWAT's taking over the case again," the blonde huffed. "They don't trust the bureau."

"They're still hung up on the raid."

"I don't blame them. I know how it looks."

"Well, Aubrey, they're specialized in dealing with these things."

"Oh, please, they're a bunch of violent ex-cons or ex-marines that get pleasure out of the kill. I know the teams that Everdeen puts together."

"Well, he trusts them."

"I fuck up once, and the entire bureau has to pay."

"What did Caine have to say about it?"

"He said he understood, but he's been kissing Everdeen's ass for years now."

"You just have to trust that you'll get your shot, Bree. What are you working on now?"

"Detail."

"You just need to make one break, and you'll be fine. I promise."

"Why must you be so optimistic?"

"Because I know you, and you have more passion for this job than anyone. Bumper took your mother from you. When she was killed in that drive by, I knew you wouldn't rest until him and his entire army came down, and I still believe in that. I believe in you."

* * *

Two weeks later found Beca vacating her condo into a neighborhood run by the Syndicate, and she was being led by an old friend from the orphanage that had no idea she was SWAT but knew she had been a Marine. He would vouch for her violent and chaotic nature because he had seen it first hand many times. When Jones had proposed one of his entries, she had denied it, not trusting anyone with two faces. She knew that Derek, or Unicycle or Uni as he was known, was a criminal through and through, and he would have her back. She had always kept in touch with him while she was out in Afghanistan, but when she got back, he was locked up. Now that he was out, and she had run into him at the grocery store, they were getting closer all over again. She had remembered the boy with the curly, wild fro and bright hazel green eyes. He had always been an athlete in the orphanage talking about playing pro football, but he wound up on a dark path at sixteen by robbing a corner store at gunpoint and injuring the clerk. As she got settled in, Stacie had come with her. Stacie would be undercover too, and they would be living together. Once they had settled in, Beca made a call to Unicycle to come hang out, and she was already working her way in, telling the man she had no job, no money, and she was desperate. She was grateful for running into him, and now she felt at ease going under.

"Hey, B!" the boy greeted when she opened the door.

"What up, Uni?" she replied, gripping his hand as they half hugged. "You remember Stacie, right?" She let him in and revealed the tall, busty brunette, and his jaw dropped.

"Damn! Not like that!"

Stacie giggled as Beca smirked. "Hey, Uni," she greeted.

The two hugged before they settled down in the living room, Beca handing him a beer. They talked about how their lives had molded in the last few years, Stacie telling him she had been in and out of jobs but surviving, and Beca told him she had been locked up. Stacie even gushed a huge story about how finding Beca had been her saving grace, and they had been running their own little schemes for cash. After a few beers, Uni was already under their spell, and he leaned forward conspiratorially.

"So, B, you looking for something more permanent?" he asked.

"Yeah, always," Beca said nonchalantly, not showing in emotion.

"Well, I've been working on some big gigs, and they just put me up on my own kind of lane. I've been trying to get a team together. Are you willing to work with me?"

"What are we doing?"

"Well, I work for a much bigger organization, but we direct a bit of traffic around this 'hood."

"Oh, yeah? How's the pay?"

"Hey, I got three cars and two hundred pairs of Jordans. What do you think?"

"Yet you still live in this 'hood?" Stacie was flustered by Beca's constant slang.

"Well, yeah, because this is the hood we run. I gotta stay in the business, ya know and stay low key. Being too flashy will get you killed. Bumper doesn't have a mansion or nothing. He's everywhere, and he usually just crashes wherever. That's why the feds can't catch him."

"Smart man."

"Yeah, he is, and he pays great for us as we move up. Trust that."

"Okay, what would I have to do?"

"Whatever I need from you. We move a lot, drop a lot, run a lot. We'll be in and out of town, but we'll be fed, clothed, sheltered, you know."

"Okay, sounds good."

"Nice. I'll introduce you to the big guys then come this weekend. I gotta meet up for the first shipment."

"Okay, I'm good with that."

"I'm glad, man. It'll feel good having someone I know and trust in on this. I already told Bigum, one of Bumper's close hands, that you were a marine, but you were crazy when it came down to business, that we could use you. Hey though, uh, where's Jesse?"

Beca tensed a moment before relaxing, dropping her gaze.

"He was killed," she said softly, and Uni had to strain to hear her. "He was running something, and well, the feds hit him, killed him. He was working for Bumper I guess. I'm not sure. I got locked up when I got back like I said, and Jesse disappeared on me. When I got out, he was dead, so I really don't know how it happened. Just, you know, don't mention him being my brother and all. I don't know what the hell he was into, and I don't wanna be cast back in the shadow I just left."

"Oh, no worries, B. We never share personal shit with them. I mean, we work with 'em, but we're all crooks, you know. We don't trust each other as much as we should, and that's how we're as big as we are. That's why I'm glad I know you and trust you." If only he knew.

"Yeah, and I wouldn't be doing this if anyone else had asked me. I seen it work, and you know I never trust."

"Yup, and that's how I know you'll be perfect."

After Uni left, Stacie and Beca headed back to the bedroom where Stacie used her special phone that was only linked to Commander Evans and gave him the rundown on what was going to happen. He didn't say much about it, but Stacie knew he was only worried about Beca. Either way, he was satisfied with the outcome, and he made Stacie promise to take care of the shorter brunette. Stacie agreed before hanging up. When she did so, Beca emerged from the bathroom.

"You talk to Evans?" she asked tiredly, falling into bed.

"Yeah," Stacie replied, curling into the brunette's side.

"You know you're my best friend, right?"

"Yup. If I didn't, B, I wouldn't be here."

"Is that right? You're only in my bed tending to me because we're best friends?"

"Becs, you know what you do to me. Don't play dumb."

"I just wanted to hear you say it." Beca smirked.

"Well, yes, you-you melt me to nothing in the best way."

"Prove it."

No sooner had the words left her lips that Stacie was hovering over her, lips pressing to the skin of her neck. Her hands automatically bracketed the taller woman's hips, pulling her closer.

"I could do this forever," Beca sighed.

"We made a pact," Stacie reminded her. "This will continue until the day you fall in love."

Beca snorted a laugh. "Yeah, like that's gonna happen."

"One day, Cap. One day, someone's gonna melt that heart of yours."

"Yeah, we'll see. Come here."

"We will see."

With that, Stacie brought her lips to Beca's. It was a chaste kiss, always quick because both somehow believed that too long of a kiss would ignite feelings that neither of them wanted, that neither would understand. Stacie protected herself with one-night stands before Beca, allowing everyone a sample but nothing more for the sake of her heart that had been shattered at four years old when she was left on the doorstep of Barden Mills. Beca was the cold, reserved, unpredictable type that no one could readily read, not even her best friend most of the time. Even her twin brother had struggled to do so. Somehow, her and Stacie had become impossibly close, and sharing sheets had just become their way to help one another. It was easier that way, to find release in the arms of your best friend. It shielded them from anything more, and they knew the boundaries of their agreement. It would never change the bond between them, and it was all they could ask for. To them, love was nothing more than an urban legend people grasped onto to give themselves a goal in life. It was a fantasy, an intangible thing that civilization adopted to find reason for all that they did. It was an excuse in their eyes, and they joked about it often. Beca knew she would never fall into something she didn't believe in. It was a pathetic emotion. What the hell was love? Her mother hadn't loved her enough to keep her or Jesse. If her own mother could leave her, how could she put it past anyone else?


	3. Bound By Blood

**_A/N: So as I must disclose, this is rated M for many mature subjects such as drugs, violence and sexual content. I own nothing, and this story will be as realistic as I can muster. To Blue_Wasabi24 lol I do read a lot, and we'll just say I had a lot of experience with these types of things, but I have researched many different topics. Thank you all for the following though. I appreciate it greatly._**

A chrome Colt .45 felt a lot better than a .9 millimeter Beretta in Beca's hands. She threw the three duffle bags into the backseat of her truck before pulling out onto the highway, Stacie beside her. They were due in Jacksonville before ten p.m. to make the drop. They had not been to the precinct in weeks, but Beca didn't mind. Being out of uniform felt so much better. She feared that had she not had Stacie next to her, she would have forgotten that she was SWAT at all. She may have truly believed that she had been a drug dealer for far longer than two months. She had not been introduced to the whole of the Syndicate, and she had not yet been recognized as a member. She worked strictly through Uni, but a few more drops and she would surely be a household name throughout the organization. Uni had been giving her the biggest drops and shipments to make, and she made them easily. All she had to do was flash the badge at the state border if the car wasn't already fixed with prepaid passage. It was much too easy, and she may or may not have enjoyed it all too much. Her and Stacie were singing on their way down to Florida, Stacie looking luscious in the shortest of jean shorts and the tightest of black tank tops. Beca started the song out, and Stacie followed with the female parts.

"Hey ma..."

"What's up..."

"lets slide..."

"all right..."

"all right, and we gonna get it on tonight. You smoke..."

I smoke..."

"I drink..."

"me too..."

"well good cause we gonna get high tonight. Got drops..."

"got Coups..."

"got Trucks..."

"got jeeps..."

"all right cause we gonna take a ride tonight. So ma..."

"what's up..."

"let's slide..."

"all right..."

"all right. and we gonna get it on tonight."

By the time the duo reached Jacksonville, it was nine thirty, and Beca was exhausted. It was always like this however. She rarely slept, and she was always at the mercy of Uni's phone calls. He rang her up, she followed orders with no if's, and's or but's about it. She was his go-to, and he trusted both her and Stacie on the runs. She had her own small group of hitters and dealers she worked with, but she mostly kept to her and Stacie. All proof of her being SWAT had pretty much been erased until the gig was over, and if anyone were to pull her up in any database, they would find a pretty deep fabricated criminal record. They couldn't have any loose ends, and they had to have all bases covered. Beca liked it that way.

Beca pulled the truck into the swampy area that they had received directions to. The road was muddy and worn, and she could hear the splashing of alligators around them. It was soothing though she could already feel the humidity outside of the truck. Stacie ran a hand over her thigh. She had done it periodically throughout the ride. It was always when she noticed Beca get antsy or anxious. As they pulled into what they assumed was a driveway, she flashed her lights three times as instructed before shutting them off. The porch light then flickered three times, and she opened up her door. Stacie cocked her own weapon and set it on her thigh.

"Eleven minutes, honey?" Stacie asked.

"Eleven minutes, honey," Beca confirmed with a smirk.

They had created a system. If Beca didn't come out of a place in eleven minutes, or if she yelled at her and called her "honey", something was wrong. Beca grabbed the duffle bags from the back of the truck and trudged through the mud up to the porch. The door swung open the moment she reached it, and a large, burly man stood there. They didn't exchange pleasantries or any words at all really. He stepped aside and swept her into a large living room. He then closed the door and led her down a flight of stairs in the kitchen that led to the basement. There was another door in the basement blocked by a book shelf, and he moved it aside easily, sliding the door open. Inside was what looked like an office that doubled as a cargo hold. There were boxes and shelves everywhere. She stepped inside to find another tall, blonde man with spiky hair and wide eyes. Greg Gorenc. This was the man she came to see.

"You the carrier?" he asked, a higher pitched voice than expected.

"Yup," Beca replied sullenly.

"What do we got?"

Beca stepped forward, dropping the duffle bags on the desk and unzipping one. She then pulled out a brick of white, cutting it open with her pocket knife and taking a tiny sample of the powder onto the blade. Greg took it from her, snorting it quickly and waiting a moment. He then looked at another man standing next to him and nodded. This man picked up the duffle bags in one hand and left the room. Beca's eyes stayed locked on Greg as she took her knife back. It was a way to convey confidence. She would not cower away or show discomfort. He broke eye contact first, clearing his throat. The man reappeared minutes later with one duffle bag. He placed it on the desk. Beca unzipped it to find stacks upon stacks of hundred-dollar bills. She took one of the stacks from the bottom of the bag and pulled one bill out, holding it up to the light. She then set it on the desk, pulling iodine from her pocket and dropping some on the bill. Greg had to bite back a scoff as he watched her work. When she had confirmed that at least the stack was real, she threw it back in the bag and zipped it up with a nod.

"Are we done here?" she asked monotonously.

"Yeah, we're all done," Greg replied, clapping his hands. "Al, show her out."

The man behind her nodded as she turned, and she followed him back through the door and up the stairs into the kitchen. When the door opened, Stacie grabbed her gun, holding it against her stomach to make sure nothing happened. Well, it did. The moment Beca turned the corner out of the door, the man stopped behind her, pulling out his pistol and aiming it at the back of her head. He obviously didn't notice Stacie in the truck, and Stacie took a shot out of the window before he had the chance. Beca ducked, looking back at the man before looking over at Stacie with wide eyes. Stacie was already in the driver seat starting the truck.

"Come on!" she hollared, and Beca didn't need to be told twice. She jumped off the porch as fast footsteps rang through the house. Stacie was already pulling out, and Beca hurdled into the bed of the trunk, opening the tool box in the back and pulling out a shotgun. She cocked it as two men appeared on the porch shooting. With two simple shots, they slumped to the floor, and Stacie darted out of the parking lot and into the woods. Beca stayed pressed against the back window.

"You okay, B?" Stacie called through her open window.

"Yeah, I'm good," she replied. "Beautiful shot, Baby, thanks."

Stacie smirked. "You know I'll always save your pasty white ass."

"Yeah." She smirked. "You couldn't live without it."

When they at last reached the main highway, Beca returned the shotgun to the toolbox and climbed through the back window into the cab and pulled the black bag with her. She hopped into the passenger seat and grabbed her phone, dialing Uni's number.

"What up, B?" he answered. "You good?"

"Barely," Beca huffed. "They tried to rip us off. Stacie deaded the guy before he could shoot me in the back of my fuckin' head."

"Are you serious? You get the money?"

"Yeah, it's all here, and it's real."

"Okay, I'm gonna call Bumper, and I'll give you a call back."

"Cool."

Beca hung up then reached into the glove compartment to retrieve the special phone for Evans. She hit "call" on it and put it to her ear. Evans answered immediately.

"Conrad," he greeted, thinking it was Stacie.

"Mitchell," Beca replied.

He breathed a sigh. "Becs? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, for now. Hey, is Luke there?"

"Yeah, he's right here."

"Tell him I need him to pull up what we have on Greg Gorenc."

"Okay, hold one minute." Beca did so patiently, and a few minutes later, Luke came on the line.

"Okay, B," he sighed. "Greg Gorenc. He's a suspected traffic director for Bumper out of the Jacksonville area."

"Yeah, well I just made a drop to him, and he almost had me killed."

"Well, it wouldn't be a first. Bumper's goons were cited for arson several times in that area after Greg shorted him. Remember Daniel Dennison? The kid we detained for a week?"

"Yeah."

"He said that Bumper's been shorting Greg awhile, giving him skimpy drops for big cash, and his customers down there were pretty pissed, so he tried ripping off Bumper."

"So it's possible that he heard about Bumper's new export plan. He probably figured he's gonna get dropped anyway or charged more for the product, so he tried ripping Bumper off."

"Makes the most sense."

"Okay." Then Beca's phone was ringing. "Okay, I gotta go. Duty calls on the other line."

"Okay, be safe, Becs."

"Yeah." She hung up before answering her other phone. "Uni."

"Yeah, B," the man returned. "They want you to come in."

"Okay, where?"

"Hammond and Cedar once you get back. I'll meet you out front that corner store."

"Okay, see you in a bit."

She hung up, tossing the phone in the cup holder and looking over at Stacie. The brunette's eyes were on the road, but Beca knew she was waiting for her to speak.

"I'll need you to drop me off when we get there," she started. "Just keep a safe distance."

"Am I timing this time?" she asked.

"No, I just have to trust this. I'm not wearing the wire either. There's no way I can get caught up."

"Okay, just text me or something if you can."

"I will. Don't worry so much."

"I always worry about your crazy little ass." Stacie chuckled now.

Beca smirked. "I know you do, but you gotta stop."

Stacie ran a hand up her thigh then, repositioning her other hand to the top of the wheel. Beca put her hand atop Stacie's, intending to stop it, but she allowed it to rest right in the middle. Stacie had been her anchor ever since Jesse had passed. She had no idea how, and it wasn't as if Beca would ever admit to caring about the brunette. To her, "best friend" was just a simple title you were obligated to give, and Stacie seemed most qualified for the position. They were always together in many ways, and it just seemed appropriate. Stacie knew her anatomy better than anyone. She had memorized Beca externally from every curve to every muscle, but no one would ever be able to delve deep enough into her mind to fully understand her internally. It was the way she wanted it, and it was what Stacie had become accustomed to.

Stacie dropped Beca off on the corner of Hammond and Cedar in front of a 7-11. Beca tucked her pistol in the back of her pants and grabbed the duffle bag. She could see Uni in the shadows of the back of the building, and she rushed over him, looking around to take in her surroundings. He had a cigarette between his lips, and he removed it when she reached him. They bumped fists before he too surveyed the area. When he was sure it was clear, he turned, and she followed. They walked down into an alley that led into the neighborhood behind the store. Dogs were barking here and there, but aside from that, three thirty a.m. found the neighborhood pretty quiet.

"Stacie okay?" Uni asked as they turned a corner.

"Yeah," Beca replied, slinging the bag over her shoulder. "What are we doing?"

"Bumper's impressed. He always suspected that Greg would turn. That little fucker is always complaining about our business, but he's lucky that Bumper didn't shut him down a long time ago. The big guy wants to meet you. I'm sure it'll eventually lead up to us going after Greg, but for now, he wants you in."

Beca only nodded as they exited the alley onto a dark street with no streetlights on. Uni opened the gate to one of the houses, closing it after they entered, and led Beca up to the door. Beca had expected them to go to a warehouse or something, but Uni had said Bumper liked to keep to low key places. It filled in a lot of bubbles however. She would make sure they were never sent to a warehouse ambush again.

Uni knocked three times on the door before ringing the doorbell. They always had some sort of secret signal type shit. A tall man opened the door for Uni, and they bumped fists before Beca followed him inside. The house was run down and shabby like most in the neighborhood. Uni led her down a hallway to a back bedroom. He opened the closet then and slid one of the walls sideways, a secret door. He led Beca inside, the tall man that had answered the door closing the closet door behind them. They took some stairs down to a hard, dirt floor, and Beca found herself in a chamber of sorts. The walls were brick, lit by lamps suspended from the ceiling. There were couches and tables at the other end, and there sat three men, the one in the middle giving Beca a hunch that this was the great Bumper Allen. He was a lot-wider and shorter in person with light brown hair and matching eyes. He was talking animatedly to his company before he looked up at Uni. He stood when they appeared.

"Ah!" he boomed, his arms wide open. "Uni. How goes it?"

"Pretty good," Uni replied. "Bumper, this is Beca Mitchell. Beca, this is Bumper Allen."

"It's nice to finally meet you," Beca said, shaking his hand before handing off the bag.

"Oh, and you come baring gifts," the man chuckled.

"Something like that."

He handed off the bag to one of the other men, and they emptied it on one of their tables to count. Bumper perched himself on a desk and looked over at Beca, who held eye contact as always, and once again, she was not the one to break eye contact.

"So..." Bumper sighed, hands on his lap. "Beca Mitchell. I've heard much about you. I also heard that Greg tried to short us and take you out, correct?"

"Correct."

"You put a few of his men down, did you?"

"Yes."

"Well, that's what I need around here, Mitchell! Balls! I had a boy once that reminded me of you. He was the goofiest kid alive, but he knew how to do business. The thing was that he turned out to be a fuckin' rat. That's what I hate most. To be lied to." It took everything in Beca not to convey any emotion as the man spoke of her brother, and Uni had no idea because he had been locked up during Jesse's run with Bumper. "I need hitters. I need people who won't scurry away from these fucks trying to ruin my business. I need you. I'll give you four of my best foot soldiers, and you'll answer directly to me. How does that sound?"

"Sounds all good to me."

"It comes with a generous pay raise as well and some bigger stakes, but after what Uni has told us about you and how much you've already been doing, I know I'm making the right decision."

"I can assure you I can do anything you need. I'm all business."

"That's what I like to hear. So..." He turned to one of the men now. "Kolio, tag her."

The man he referred to, short boy with curly black hair and caramel-colored skin, stood up instantly, moving to one of the shelves lining the wall and taking a black case in his hands. He opened it up to reveal a tattoo gun and ink bottle. He pulled on white latex gloves. It would be something Beca would have to cover up once it was over, but for the moment, she was pretty enthralled with it all.

"And Kolio?" Bumper said again, freezing the man as he looked up. "Give her _four _diamonds."

The man's eyes widened, but he quickly nodded and beckoned Beca over. She did so without hesitance, taking a seat in the chair offered to her. He took her left arm and propped it on the desk as Bumper left the room. Uni came over and sat beside her.

"Damn, B, you're in," he hissed. "Only Bumper's highest soldiers get four diamonds. The rest of us only get three."

Beca watched as Kolio illustrated the symbol of the Troublemakers. It was a cursive "T", elegantly wrapped around a dagger, the hilt of said dagger dabbed with four diamonds on her wrist. It only took him twenty minutes to finish, and Beca was well aware that it was a tattoo he had done often. When he was done, he poured a shot of what looked to be tequila. He dropped a bit of it on the marking, causing Beca to hiss softly before handing her the glass, which she downed quickly. Once she set down the glass upside down, Uni patted her shoulder with a bark of laughter. Despite herself, she grinned. She had never felt so alive, a feeling that should strike fear in her heart, but instead it filled her with intrigued determination. It should not feel this good to be considered a high-profile criminal, and yet it did, and Beca could not bring herself to care.

* * *

It was not a good night. After a thirty-six hour shift, Chloe had come out of Barden University Medical Center to find that her phone was dead, and ten minutes down the road heading home, her tire blew out. She was in a neighborhood, but there was very little light, and she had no idea how to change a tire. She felt so stupid, and she was exhausted. She knew Aubrey was still down at her office, so she decided to just walk. Aubrey could scold her later. She left her lab coat in the car and took off towards home, keeping to the shadows of the street. As she walked, she did her best to keep her mind awake. She began singing softly to herself. It was something that had always kept her calm. It was what her mother used to do when she was nervous or scared or for any other reason that prompted the solution. She crossed her arms over her chest, her wallet tucked in the pocket of her jeans. The night was cool but silent, and she moved briskly along the sidewalk. Her shoes were soft on the sidewalk, her eyes focused dead ahead. Suddenly, she was jerked to the side and slammed against a wall of a building hard. Her head bounced off the brick, and she yelped in pain before a hand was clasped over her mouth. A hand frisked her quickly, pulling her wallet out of her pocket. She opened her eyes and focused her vision to find a tall, skinny boy, no older than seventeen or eighteen, snarling at her. He had sores along one side of his neck, and his eye twitched. She had seen these signs before. He was a victim of methamphetamine. He pressed his body against hers, sniffing her hair before meeting her gaze. She refused to cry or blatantly show that she was scared to death at that moment. He opened up her wallet, but he only found cards.

"Where's the cash!" he growled.

"I don't-"

"Where the fuck is the cash, bitch!" He punched her in her stomach.

"I don't have any cash!"

"Where the fuck is the cash!"

Now he pulled a knife from his pocket, holding it to her throat. She gulped audibly.

* * *

Beca took the folded up paper from Bumper on her way out of the house.

"Get this over to Kimmy Jin," he instructed. "I told her you were coming. She has some pigs to round up, and you're going with her. You already have the mark, but you still have to finish out the entrance exam." He smirked.

"Not a problem."

She walked out of the house, looking at the address that Bumper had given her to Kimmy Jin's. It wasn't far, so she decided just to walk instead of calling Stacie. She did text the brunette so that she didn't worry however. She subconsciously ran her hand over the fresh tattoo on her arm, the skin only slightly swollen. Bumper had handed her a pack of cigarettes, a small bag of a crystal rock-like substance and another of a finer powder, and an extra handgun that she strapped to her ankle. She tossed the cigarettes to Uni as she left and walked back down the street towards the home of the assassin. She headed up in the darkness, softly rapping lyrics to herself. It was something that had always calmed her during the war and other jobs.

**_It's going down, fade to Blackstreet_**

**_The homies got at me, collab' creations_**

**_Bump like Acne, no doubt_**

**_I put it down, never slouch_**

**_As long as my credit can vouch_**

**_A dog couldn't catch me ass out_**

**_Tell me who can stop when Dre making moves_**

**_Attracting honeys like a magnet_**

**_Giving 'em eargasms with my mellow accent_**

**_Still moving this flavor_**

**_With the homies Blackstreet and Teddy_**

**_The original rump shakers_**

She turned the corner onto Cedar Street and crossed in front of the 7-11. She stepped onto the sidewalk, and as she did, she heard what seemed to be voices coming from the direction she was heading in. She also heard labored breaths and a yelp of pain. She rushed forward, switchin back into law enforcement mode. As she reached the mouth of an alley, she turned the corner to see a tall, lanky boy with dirty blonde hair and a twitch pinning a tall girl with fiery red hair against the wall of the building with a knife at her throat. He was yelling at her, and Beca reached for her switchblade. She rushed forward, grabbing the boy and pushing him up against the opposite wall roughly, the blade falling from his hand.

"What the fuck are you doing?" she growled at him.

"Fuck you!" he spat. "Who the hell are you?"

Beca glanced down, and she could make out the lines of a tattoo similar to her fresh one on his forearm. She brought her arm up, stepping back slightly so that the boy could see. When he registered the four diamonds, his eyes bulged, and malice instantly turned to fear.

"I-I-I'm sorry," he hissed.

"Stop getting high on the supply," she hissed back, shoving her forearm in his neck once more so that his head hit the brick. "Get the fuck out of here."

She grabbed his shoulder then, ripping the wallet from his hand and pushing him out into the street, and he darted off into the night. Beca tucked her switchblade back into her pocket, turning around, and she was suddenly reminded why she had come to begin with. She had been enchanted by the fear in the boy's face at her rank. She felt powerful, invincible, untouchable. Then that all fell away when she took in the woman cowering before her. She was taller than Beca with long, wavy copper locks and fair, sun-kissed skin beneath the dim lighting in the alley. What caught her eye most however was the pair of the bluest, most brilliant eyes Beca had ever seen. They glistened, even in the dark, and she was lost in them. They popped out at her, the most vivid of colors, and it were almost as if the ocean lay behind them, waves crashing against the front of them. It was only a minute that she was frozen, but it felt like years. When she finally came to, she shook her head to clear it and stepped toward the woman. She handed her the wallet, and the woman hesitantly took it.

"Are you okay?" Beca asked now.

"Y-yeah," the woman replied. "I'm fine now."

"What are you even doing out here? It's four in the morning."

Now Chloe looked sheepish. "Well, I-my phone was dead, and my tire blew out, and I don't-exactly know how to change a tire."

Beca snorted a laugh. "Where's your car?"

"Oh, no, it's fine. I can just walk-"

"And meet that punk down the line? No, come on. Let's go."

Beca didn't say another word before walking out of the alley, and the girl followed. She took the lead then, heading back to where she had left the car.

"Thank you for that," the redhead said.

"No problem," the brunette replied.

"I'm Chloe by the way."

"Beca."

"Beca. Like, Rebeca?"

"No, just Beca."

"Oh..."

"Where were you coming from anyway? Club?"

Chloe chuckled. "No, no time for that. I work at the hospital."

"Oh, a doctor?"

"Yeah, I work with narcotic addicts."

"Sounds fun."

"Oh, totes."

Beca didn't look at her, but she smirked. This girl was obviously the all-american college student not too long ago. Beca's best skill was reading people. It came with the job. Chloe on the other hand was trying to figure her savior out, not wanting to believe she was one of the goons running around the city creating the patients that she worked with. Still, that boy had become very scared in a matter of seconds, and she did not understand.

"You can't be walking out here like this," Beca suddenly hissed.

"I never really planned on it," Chloe replied.

They at last reached the redhead's car, and Beca had her pop the trunk. The brunette then pulled out the spare and jack, and she quickly got to work changing the tire. Chloe watched on, looking around every now and then. She observed the woman closely, and she soon found herself entranced by the sight before her. The girl was small, no taller than five-foot two, and her hair was long but pulled back in a ponytail. Her tank top was tight enough to outline the curves of her body, and when she lifted up the shirt to wipe sweat from her face, Chloe was given a look at fine chiseled abs. She then took in the perfectly cut biceps and the several tattoos that stretched from her muscular shoulder blades to her toned forearms and wrists. It was when the brunette looked over at her though, if only for a moment, that she felt her breath hitch. It was her eyes. They were the most intriguing color, a steel navy blue, almost like a storm was brewing behind them. She had sharp features, her lips full and a light pink. When she was at last finished with the tire change, Chloe shook herself from her stupor.

"Okay, all finished," Beca huffed. "You best get going now."

"Uh," Chloe breathed before clearing her throat. "Did-you need a ride somewhere?"

"Oh, no, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? It's no problem."

"No, I'll be good. I have a lot to do before I get home."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, positive."

"Will I see you again?" Chloe's eyes bulged when she realized she had said that out loud, but then Beca smirked the cutest smirk she had ever seen, and she just about fainted at the sight.

"Well, Red, if I ever overdose, I'll hit you up." When she saw the look of shock on the redhead's face, she chuckled. "I'm kidding, Red. I'm kidding. I don't know. Maybe. I'll be around."

Chloe decided not to push it. She wanted so badly to be sure she would see the brunette again, but she wasn't sure how to go about that, and she wasn't sure it was a good idea. Hanging out with a stranger she met in the middle of the night would not go over well with her best friend, and she knew it wasn't smart.

"Okay, well," she sighed. "Good night."

"Good night," Beca returned.

Chloe got into her car and started it up, watching as Beca was illuminated in the headlights walking away. She didn't move for a moment, her head trying to wrap around all that had happened. She was truly curious who the woman was, but she couldn't dwell on it. When the brunette disappeared around the corner, Chloe's exhaustion hit her like a ton of bricks, and she quickly made her way home.

* * *

Beca reached the complex and checked her watch. It was four-forty-three, and they had about an hour and a half before the sun came up. She knocked on the correct apartment number, and it was only a second before the door was yanked open. There stood a raven-haired girl of average height, Asian ethnicity without a doubt. Her lips were pursed, and she seemed to have a permanent scowl on her face.

"You must be Kimmy Jin, I'm Beca," she greeted, but girl just continued to scowl. "No...English?" Nothing. "Yes English?" Nothing. "Just tell me where you're at with English."

The girl said nothing but instead held her hand out. Beca instinctively handed her the folded up paper Bumper had given her. Kimmy Jin took in the tattoo on her wrist as she did, and she quirked an eyebrow. She then stepped out onto the landing and closed the door, locking it behind her. Beca could only follow her as she descended the stairs. They slid into a dark black Honda Civic with a spoiler, and Beca nearly scoffed at the sight, but she didn't. The ride to their destination was quiet, Beca staring out the window and fiddling with her switchblade. Kimmy Jin had to be breaking a slew of traffic violations as she hit ninety on one of the main roads, but Beca never saw sirens. They were soon out of city limits, driving down a lone road surrounded by forest. They turned onto a dirt trail after another mile marker. There was something that felt familiar about the path that Beca couldn't quite put her finger on, but she shook it off. At last, the Asian spoke.

"It's pretty simple," she said monotonously. "This is your initiation. Bumper picks a high-profile target. You put a bullet in his head. I supervise."  
Beca only nodded, but when they pulled up to the house, she froze. There was an unmarked patrol car out front, and she now knew why the path was so familiar...


	4. The Tie That Binds Us

**_A/N:So are you guys on board? I don't really see the following I usually do. All you have to do is say the word. It's welcome. To those that are with me, I thank you, and I hope you are enjoying it so far. I promise it's getting better. It probably won't be too long, but it'll have enough action, drama and angst to hold you over._**

"I'm taking you first thing in the morning to get new tires," Aubrey huffed as Chloe collapsed on the couch. "I can't believe you tried to walk, Chloe! I couldn't get ahold of you."

"I didn't have another choice," Chloe yawned. "This girl helped me though, and I got home."

"Do you know what sort of people run around in that neighborhood?"

Chloe considered telling Aubrey about what had all transpired on her little walk but thought better of it.

"Can we talk about this in the morning?" Chloe whined. "I'm about to pass out."

"Fine, but we _will _talk about it in the morning."

Chloe stood up quickly and stalked to her bedroom, falling onto her bed. The moment her eyes closed, her mind flashed back to the night's events, but the most vivid thing in her mind was stormy blue, the eyes of her savior. She had no clue why she was so enthralled by the small woman, but something about her had caught her off guard or just caught her in general. She wondered who she was, what she did, how she had come to the rescue, but before Chloe could even begin to come up with a resolution or any sort of answer, she was fast asleep, dreaming of stormy blue eyes.

* * *

Beca cocked her pistol after attaching the silencer, trying not to think about what she was about to do. Kimmy Jin led her to the back of the small house. The assassin was explaining the layout and occupants of the home, but Beca need not listen. She already knew. One officer, his wife, a sixteen-year-old boy and a thirteen-year old girl. Kimmy Jin assured her that the wife and two kids were out of town for a sports tournament, but the officer had to work and therefore could not go. He was home. There was a light on in the study. Kimmy Jin quickly picked the lock on the back door, and Beca stepped inside, listening for any noises. It was quiet. Kimmy Jin closed the door, and as she did, another door in the house creaked open. They quickly pressed themselves against the wall as footsteps approached. Kimmy Jin gave Beca a firm nod, and she knew that she was being told to kill on sight. She returned the nod shakily. The footsteps halted in the kitchen. Beca could picture the man opening the fridge with his cropped blonde hair and toned physique, young and athletic. When she heard him gulping something down, she stepped into the kitchen, aiming her weapon. Her eyes met bright brown ones, and the look of shock on his face told her that he recognized her instantly. Before he could say anything to her, she pulled the trigger, the bullet embedding into his skull. He slumped backwards and onto the floor. She holstered her weapon and looked over at Kimmy Jin, who came out of her place behind the wall and took pictures with a digital camera. She then pocketed the device and walked out of the house without a word, Beca following close behind. They had parked out in the trees a little ways from the house, and when they reached the car, Kimmy Jin popped the trunk and pulled out two jugs of gasoline. She handed one to Beca, and they trudged back to the house, dousing it in the liquid quickly but carefully. When they finished, they headed back to the car, Kimmy Jin lighting a match and flinging it back behind her. The house caught fire quickly, and they disappeared into the night.

Stacie had been waiting up. The sun was now rising, and she hadn't heard from Beca in two hours. When the front door opened, she stood from the couch. Beca looked worn, bags under her eyes and skin paler than usual. She offered Stacie a half smile when she saw her.

"You didn't have to wait up," she huffed.

"It isn't like I could sleep," Stacie retorted, jumping into the brunette's open arms and wrapping her long legs around her waist.

"Did you miss me?" Beca chuckled.

"Maybe a little."

"I guess I missed you too a little."

Beca carried Stacie back to the bedroom, tossing her on the bed before setting her pistols on the dresser and stepping out of her jeans. Stacie pulled off her tanktop to reveal her toned stomach and bolstering chest. Beca had not realized how aroused she was until then, and she couldn't figure out why. She crawled on top of the taller woman, hovering over her before kissing her forehead gently. It was moments like that in which Stacie panicked at times, and she was sure Beca did as well. Their love for each other was never mentioned, never spoken, never admitted, but it was there. It lingered, and it was terrifying. Neither acknowledged the affectionate touch before Stacie ripped her captain's clothes off, and Beca did the same for her. Her lips were attached to Stacie's neck in seconds, needing to hear her cry out. She didn't understand why she needed it so bad in that moment, but the moment she heard the cry, and her hand slipped between Stacie's thighs, something startling flashed through her mind. Red hair and crystal blue eyes. She nearly pulled away. She nearly snorted a laugh. How the hell was the stranger from earlier in the night having such an effect on her? Was this why she needed release so bad, or was it the kill she had just executed? She couldn't dwell on it now however because Stacie was screaming in both pleasure and pain as Beca thrust into her, and that was all that the captain could concentrate on.

Hours later, the sun high in the sky, Beca was now laying atop Stacie, the latter running her finger's through the other woman's hair subconsciously.

"I-they-I had to be initiated," Beca stammered out suddenly.

"What happened?" Stacie asked, her eyes closed.

"I had to kill-an officer. An agent."

Stacie tensed slightly, her grip on Beca's shoulder tightening. "Who?"

"You remember John Caine?"

"Caine? The FBI chief?"

"Yeah. The FBI chief."

"Are you serious? Becs, how-"

"They knew where he was. He sent me with Kimmy Jin, and I had to do it."

"He was in the war with you, right?"

"Yeah, he was. That's how I knew him before. He was my colonel, and he came back to the FBI a year after I came back."

"He recognized you."

"He looked me right in my eyes, and-I shot him."

"You did what you had to do, B."

"He trusted me."

"He would understand."

"There's nothing to understand about it."

"I know you feel bad-"

"That's the thing. I know I should feel bad, but-I don't. It felt good."

"Well, it's normal. It's a rush."

"I should feel bad."

"Then what, B? You want me to sit here and baby you? It was your job. He died for a bigger cause, and the only thing you can do is to move on and bring Bumper down for him."

Beca smirked. "Thanks for always being the voice of unadulterated reason."

Stacie smiled. "If I don't put you in your place, who will?"

"Who knows?"

"Exactly."

* * *

Aubrey received the call at noon. She was sitting at Murphy's Tires with Chloe when her phone began to ring. It was Denise, and she rushed outside to answer it.

"Posen," she answered.

"Posen, we need you down to the precinct immediately," Denise said.

"Okay, I'll be there."

She rushed back inside where Chloe was fiddling with her phone. The man was already finishing up with replacing all of the tires, and Chloe had paid.

"Hey, I have to go," she told the redhead. "You'll be okay?"

"Yeah," Chloe replied with a shrug. "I'm a big girl, Bree."

"I can't tell sometimes. Call me when you leave here."

"Yes, _Mom_."

Aubrey scowled at her a moment before kissing her forehead and rushing out of the door to her car. She pulled her badge and gun from the glove compartment and headed towards the precinct as fast as possible. When she arrived at the large building, Denise was waiting up front with Gail Abernathy-McCath, and Aubrey began to panic. If the Director of the FBI herself was present, something was terribly wrong. She had only ever seen the woman in pictures or at very serious meetings, and she had never spoken to her. She also didn't see John anywhere in sight. She was instantly nauseous when this fact registered, but she choked it down when she reached the tall blonde woman and Denise.

"Director McCath, this is Special Agent Posen," Denise introduced.

Gail extended a hand that Aubrey shook. "It's nice to meet you, Agent. Follow me."

The three women made their way down the halls into the depths of the precinct in one of the smaller briefing rooms. They gathered at the table there and sat down.

"Now," Gail sighed. "I've called you in here because John told me you were his best, but he also told me that you were closest to him." Aubrey nodded because John had certainly been like a father figure to her, the complete opposite of Eric Posen through and through. John had always been proud of her. "Well, John was murdered last night." Aubrey gulped audibly, now fighting to choke down the bile bubbling up in her throat. "His house was started on fire. His wife and children weren't home at the time, but we recovered his body, and he had a bullet in his head. An hour ago, pictures arrived of the man shot dead at the sheriff's department, and we know that Bumper had something to do with it, but we can't possibly trace it to him. I know that the Sheriff's Department is running the case, but I need you to follow any and every lead to have his killer at the very least to be brought to justice."

Aubrey nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"I need you to first see what you can find around the high school. I know there are a lot of kids running with Bumper, and you may find it easier to loosen them up."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Okay, dismissed. I'll be in touch."

Aubrey nodded and calmly exited the room. Once she was down the hall a ways, she darted into the bathroom and lost a week's worth of lunch.

* * *

Beca slammed another beer, tossing the bottle in the trash can and grabbing another one. Stacie sipped hers slowly. Bumper had given her three guys, three really big idiots, but she had been able to keep Uni on her own team and bring in Cynthia Rose. Bumper had known CR from her scams counting cards in local casinos, and her "I was in prison" excuse worked after a quick look into the police database by one of his moles like it had for Beca. Luke, Lily and Amy were still working in the precinct, putting together their information relayed from their street team. Only Bumper, Uni, and Bumper's most trusted men knew Beca's name, but everyone was soon getting acquainted with the face and the alias "B". Beca had been summoned by Bumper the night before to meet his new right-hand man that was importing middle eastern drugs. His name was Donald Grey, and he looked like nothing more than a college hipster with his large glasses and overly gelled hair. Now, Beca, Stacie and CR were throwing back beers after a successful run to Athens.

"There's a lot of drugs moving in and out of here," CR noted aloud. "How are we gonna do this?"

"They need Bumper in the act to take him down," Beca replied. "It won't be easy. That guy has soldiers for days, and he never gets his hands dirty."

"There has to be something he doesn't trust to someone else."

"Yeah, but we have yet to figure it out."

"So what's next?"

"We go snooping. These kids around here open up like girls on prom night with the right drugs in their system."

"That's dangerous, B."

"No, interrogation is dangerous. Curiosity isn't."

"True. I seen an unmarked car down at the high school yesterday morning on my way here."

"FBI. Those fucks are probably gonna get those kids killed. If you saw it, I'm pretty sure all of his goons saw it too."

"So, what do we know about his government body by now?"

"Well, he's obviously the top. He just brought in this Donald guy. There's maybe twenty guys beneath that, and they do a lot of logistics and shit. There are twenty-five guys beneath that like me with these four diamonds on their arm. Then there's a shit load of foot soldiers all over the fuckin' world, and they multiply like bunnies."

"Damn, so what do you think?"

"I think that my tier is the best guess. I'm telling you now. This is gearing up for a long haul. If I can climb the rest of this ladder, I can get in and pull the plug."

"What would happen if Bumper dies?" Stacie asked.

"I guess Donald would take lead, but I'm not really sure. No, never mind that. Complete chaos would break out. Understand that these guys are loyal to the death to this guy, and if he dies, it would be like killing Yoda. All of his padawans will go to war, and they can do it. They're all armed to the teeth with automatic rifles and machine guns. They have .50 cals in some of those warehouses. It's ridiculous."

"Then we have to tear it down before he can do that. I mean, please. Dude's a Class A kingpin. Why the hell would he want a war, you know?"

The following night, the trio wound up in a local diner pigging out before hitting the streets. They had been talking to loyal addicts and foot soldiers all day, getting a feel for the scene. They could not believe that twelve and thirteen-year-olds were running around toting handguns, backpacks slung over their shoulder full of powder. Beca was exhausted by the entire thing, but she knew that this was the job. Which job? She couldn't really tell you. The line between officer and criminal was severely blurred at this point, and she couldn't count how many crooked officers she saw around town buying drugs off of these kids. It was disgusting.

They walked down the block towards their home-base warehouse as night fell, and Beca was getting anxious, about what she had no idea. It was when they turned onto a side street that they heard yelling.

"This is our corner!" one voice yelled.

"No, this is mine," another voice answered, younger for sure and slightly timid.

"Who the fuck lied to you? Get off my block!"

"This is Bumper's territory."

"Man, fuck Bumper. Tell him Crowned Kings own this."

Then there was a yelp in pain, and Beca quickened her pace. On the next corner was a tall, lanky boy doubled over. He had light brown curls and pasty white skin. Beca could see three other men, much taller and much older, looming over him. She pulled her pistol. This was in fact Bumper's territory, and she was sure they knew that.

"Can I help you?" she called out, and the four men looked over at her.

"Who the fuck are you?" one barked.

"Is there a problem here?" She ignored the man's question.

"I asked you a question, Bitch."

She aimed the gun now, walking forward, and the three men took a slight step back.

"This is Bumper's street," she growled. "Are you lost? You need directions, boys?"

"This is our-"

"Recheck your map. You're stomping on the wrong ground. You keep this up, and this street gets swarmed. If that's how you want to die, be my guest."

"You're just another one of Bumper's-"

The man stopped when she stepped beneath the streetlight, and it illuminated the tattoo on her arm, the four diamonds seeming to pop out at him. Even he knew how important the marking was, and he knew this was no normal street soldier.

"This ain't over, Bitch," he spat before walking off in the other direction, his boys behind him.

Beca tucked her pistol and stood before the other boy. She glanced at his arm, but she saw no tattoo. As if reading her mind, he straightened and pulled up his short sleeve. The dagger with three diamonds glistened on his upper arm.

"How old are you?" she asked.

"I'm-seventeen," he replied, visible shaking.

"Chill out, kid. We're on the same team. What's your name?"

"Benji."

"What are you doing out on this block? I mean, it's our block, but we don't work out here."

"This is where my captain sent me."

"Well, your captain was fucking with you. Come on."

Beca continued on down the street towards the warehouse, and the others followed. She took in Benji now. He definitely looked younger than seventeen, and something about him reminded her so much of her brother. Maybe it was the Star Wars T-shirt. She wasn't sure. It could be his boyish features as well. It pained her to see a kid so young out here, but at his age, she was running around in a vast desert dodging bullets and bombs. Could this possibly be any worse?

"You in school, kid?" she asked, and he just shrugged. "Why are you out here?"

"I-I don't know. My best friend did it. Then he got killed, but-you can't just walk away when you feel like it, and well-I'll never make it out of here."

"Well, have you tried?"

"No, but this is where I fit in."

"Not very well. Your team just abandoned you."

"I-the school is the same. You walk in, and every kid works for Bumper. That's how it is. They have officers at the entrance everyday patting us down and stuff. That's how it is."

"Well, you stick with me, kid. I'll keep you alive."

He just nodded, a grin spreading across his face, and it made Beca's breath catch. He was so much like Jesse with that goofy grin, and she couldn't help but mirror it at the moment. Stacie and Cynthia Rose could see it in her eyes what she was thinking, and it was never easy except when it was about Jesse. They had to agree though. This young kid was so very similar to a young Jesse Swanson, and Beca felt compelled to pull him under her wing.

* * *

Chloe had been trying to reach her brother for two weeks to no avail, and her grandmother had been put in the hospital. The dementia was getting worse, and she knew it was time to admit her into the hospital when her brother wouldn't be around to care for her. She was slaving over another fifty hour shift, agreeing to handle half of one of her colleagues shifts, and she had never been so stressed in her life. She wanted to break down and cry, but she knew it wouldn't help anyone. She gave up, tossing her phone back in her locker before returning to the floor. She had seventeen patients currently on detox, and she had been groped, punched, spit at and thrown up on multiple times during her shift. As she stepped into the break room to get coffee, she found her best friend sitting at the table. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she was pale white. Chloe rushed to her side.

"What happened, Bree?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

Aubrey looked up at her slowly, answering in a low, hoarse voice. "John's dead."

"What?"

"They-killed him. Burned his house down."

"Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry, Bree. Are you okay?"

"The director was there to tell me. I've been downtown all week. That's why I haven't called."

"I was worried. They put Grandma Cathy in. The dementia's getting worse."

Aubrey jumped up now. "Chloe, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, but I haven't been able to get a hold of Benji."

"I didn't see him down at the school either."

"I'm really scared that he's into something bad. I don't know what it is."

"I'll keep an eye out for him. I promise."

"Thanks. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I just wanna find that son of a bitch that did it."

"You will. I know you will."

"I hope so. How's it going here?"

"I've been through torture today, but it's okay. We currently have seventeen in detox."

"Is it possible that you have a Leo Sanchez here?"

"Uh, actually, yeah. I tended to him earlier. We had to sedate him though. He was throwing punches ever since he was brought in."

"Well, I need to talk to him."

"He may be awake now. Come on."

Aubrey stood up and followed Chloe out of the break room and down the hall. She stopped in front of one of the doors in the hall, but as she did, her pager went off.

"Go on in," she prompted Aubrey. "I have to go."

"Okay, thanks," the blonde returned.

Chloe walked off, and Aubrey pushed open the door. A man sat strapped to the bed, his head shaved but his beard thick. His pupils were severely dilated, and Aubrey could tell he was slightly out of it still. She approached the bed, keeping a safe distance. He snorted when he saw her, her badge hanging at her waist.

"Leo?" she called to him.

"Who's asking?" he retorted.

"That snort tells me you already know the answer to that question."

"What do you want?"

"I have some questions for you."

"I ain't no snitch."

"We'll see about that. Do you wanna make it back out of this hospital or be transferred to a federal prison tomorrow?" He was silent, and she sat down in the chair near the bed. "Good. Now, I see you have a tattoo on your forearm there." The dagger wrapped in a cursive "T" with three diamonds on the hilt told her he was one of Bumper's guys. "So I know you can help me. The Unit Chief of the FBI was killed a week ago."

"You're talking to the wrong guy, detective."

"Why do you say that?"

"I'm a dope dealer not special forces."

"Bumper has special forces?"

"Of course. He has an army big enough to take out your entire department."

"Dully noted. So, who _should_ I be asking?"

"His 'special' forces have a tattoo like mine, but do you see the diamonds on the hilt?" She nodded. "I have three of them. They have four."

"I've never seen one like that."

"They're really rare. There's only a few he trusts that way. A chief, that's important, so only his most trusted guys would be given a job like that, probably as an initiation into the next tier."

"So I should be looking for four diamonds and not three?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks."

She was up in a second, rushing out of the room. She stopped at the nurse station, awaiting Chloe's returns. Ten minutes passed before the redhead appeared.

"Did you talk to him?" she asked the blonde.

"Yeah. Hey, if you do see Benji before I do, do us both a favor. Look at his arms, probably his forearm. If he has a tattoo of a dagger wrapped in a cursive "T" and diamonds on the hilt, count the diamonds then call me."

"What? Why, Aubrey? What's going on?"

"Just trust me. If you don't find that tattoo, he's not in as deep as we think. I'd still like to talk to him though, okay?"

"Okay."

"I'll see you tomorrow night. I have to go."

"Okay."

Aubrey rushed out of the hospital, already dialing Denise. The brunette answered after a ring.

"What's up, Posen?"

"Hey, you checked the ink on those detainees, right?"

"Yup, all the same. Dagger. Cursive T. Diamonds on the hilt."

"How many diamonds?"

Denise scanned her report. "They counted three on all of them."

"Okay, I just talked to Leo Sanchez. He said that Bumper has special forces, but their hilts have four diamonds and not three."

"Four, huh? Never seen that."

"Me either, but he said it's rare. We need one with four diamonds."

"How do we get them to talk?"

"We tell them that their tattoo was identified, and we tied them to the murder. They'll give in."

"Okay, we're on it. Be safe, Posen."

"You too, Eldridge."

* * *

Beca pulled up to the quaint white house in the nicer part of Barden. Benji stepped out of the truck, and Beca waited to make sure he got inside okay. When he tried the door, he found that it was locked. His grandmother never locked the door, and her car was in the driveway. He knocked several times, but when there was no answer, he began to panic. He knew his grandmother was in the early stages of dementia, and accidents could easily happen. He hadn't thought to care much lately hanging out with his new idol. Beca had really embraced him as a foot soldier, and he went everywhere with her. It was the sort of relationship he needed, not one with his way-too-perfect big sister that always scrutinized him every time she had a chance.

Benji ran back to the truck.

"Can I borrow a phone?" he asked. "I lost mine, and I need to call my sister."

"No problem, kid," Beca said, not looking at him and handing him her phone.

He stepped back out and leaned against the side of the truck. He dialed his sister's number quickly and put the phone to his ear. She answered after a few rings.

"Hello?" came her sleepy voice.

"Chlo," he replied.

"Benji?" Her tone changed, and he knew she was wide awake. "Where are you? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Do you know where Grandma is?"

"Ben, Grandma is in the hospital. The dementia got worse."

"Are you serious? Damn."

"Ben, where were you?"

"Are you at the hospital right now?"

"No, I just got home a few hours ago. Can you please just come over here?"

"Look, Chlo, I'm fine. I'm staying with a friend."

"Ben, I promise you I will not saying anything about it. You can even bring your friend with you. I just want to see you please."

"I'll see what I can do. I gotta go, Chlo. I lost my cell phone, so I'll call you when I can."

"Ben, can you-"

He hung up then and slid back into the truck.

"What's going on, kid?" Beca asked as she pulled away from the curb.

"My grandma's in the hospital, and my sister's always grilling me," he huffed.

"I'm sure she's just worried about you."

"Well, she's always like that ever since our parents died. She thinks she's better than everyone."

"I'm sure you're exaggerating. You lost your parents. She's your big sister. She wants to make sure you're safe, and you should definitely go see her _and_ your grandmother. When you have family left, kid, cherish them."

"Do you have family?"

Beca tensed a moment, but she felt the need to enlighten the young boy. She would just tweak details a bit. "You know what? The truth is, all I ever had was a little brother. He was so much like you. He loved movies and fairy tales and stuff like that, and he had this big smile that lit up a room. He fell victim to this life. Is that really want you want, Benji?"

"I-yeah, I like it out here. I feel free."

"You have to live life watching over your shoulder. What do you think would have happened had I not walked onto that corner that night?"

"I don't know. I just-I like this. I enjoy it."

Beca could understand. "Okay, let's make a deal, okay?"

"What is it?"

"You go wherever I go, you do everything I say, and if I ever make it out, you come with me."

He smirked. Only a week with the brunette had done it to him. "Deal."

"Okay, deal. Oh, and one more thing."

He rolled his eyes, and she chuckled. "What?"

"You have to go see your grandmother and your sister."

"Well I go where you go. Will you go with me?"

Beca pondered it a moment. "I don't know that they would approve."

"My sister said you could come if I just go see her. I told her I was staying with a friend."

She was silent another moment, and she remembered then that she was still SWAT, and it was her job to put families at ease. "Okay, we can set something up for this weekend after we make these drops. Til then, you can crash in my spare room."

"Thanks, B."

"No problem."

Stacie had pizza waiting for Benji and Beca when they arrived. Cynthia Rose was out with Uni patrolling the block. Benji threw himself on the couch as if it were home, his bag of clothes he usually kept at the warehouse dropped at the door. Beca entered the kitchen where Stacie was fetching beers. The taller brunette smiled at her.

"We get to be parents," she hissed, and Beca snorted a laugh.

"Guess that means I gotta put a rock on your finger, huh?" she joked.

"Oh, ugh. No."

"Thank God."

Stacie kissed the top of her head and handed her a beer. They returned to the living room and settled down to eat.

"What do we have tonight?" Stacie asked now.

"Just a quick run up to North Atlanta. Nothing too rough," Beca replied.

"Bumper talk to you?"

Beca glanced at Benji before shaking his head. Stacie knew that this was a discussion for later. Half an hour later, Cynthia and Uni came to the door.

"Got the car loaded," Uni informed Beca.

"Good," the brunette replied. "You ready, Ben?"

"Yup," Benji replied.

"Stacie?"

"Yeah."

"Let's get this done."

They headed out of the house, and as Benji passed, Beca put a hand on his chest to stop him. He looked at her, and she handed him a small pistol and a phone.

"Remember what I said," she hissed. "Whatever I say."

He nodded quickly, and they left the house.


	5. To Be Good Again

**_A/N:So here we are. I've been too quick on the other stories. This romance is gonna build. Great things take time and patience. I am writing this because I love the concept, so I understand if its not your cup of tea, but I'm enjoying myself. I promise the sequel to "Rebel with a Voice" will be out soon too. Trust that this is going to get pretty intense because this is working as a double to the new script I'm working on._**

"B," Cal called from his desk.

"Yeah," Beca replied, walking over to the large man inside of the warehouse.

"Bumper wants you to visit someone at the hospital. A patient in detox. He's worried that he's gonna talk or he already has."

"What's the name?" Beca asked.

"Leo Sanchez. If he let's on, give him a shot of this. It'll give him six hours."

Cal handed her a small syringe, and she nodded before grabbing her keys and heading out to the truck. When she reached the outer room of the warehouse, she stopped where Stacie, CR and Benji were sitting.

"I'll be back," she said. "Benji, come on."

He stood up quickly as Stacie and CR nodded, Benji following her out to the truck. They got in, and Beca brought the engine to life.

"Give me your gun," she said to him, and he did so. She tucked it under the seat.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"I have to take care of something. You've been putting off seeing your sister, so the least you can do is go see your grandmother. That nursing home is right across the street."

"Okay. My sister's at work anyway."

"Is she? What part of the hospital?"

"ER I think. I don't know."

"Oh okay. Alright, well you won't have to go in. Just give me about twenty or twenty-five minutes and wait out in the truck."

He nodded, and she headed down the street towards the medical plaza. They picked up flowers on the way for each of them. When they arrived, she sent Benji on his way first before stepping out of the truck. She straightened her shirt and headed inside of the narcotic recovery unit. She approached the front desk with a smile.

"How can I help you, Sweetie?" the woman asked.

"Yeah, I'm here to see my cousin," she replied. "Leo Sanchez."

"Okay, one moment." She searched her computer quickly, looking up the name. "Room 25A. Just take a left right here, and it's all the way down."

"Thank you."

She headed down the hall quickly, her head lowered with her bouquet of orchids raised in her hand. When she reached the correct door, she looked around before entering. She closed the door behind her. She found the man in question laying in the bed, strapped down. His head was shaved, and his goattee was thick. His eyes fluttered open, and he snorted when he saw her.

"Another fuckin' pig, huh?" he chuckled.

Beca immediately tossed the flowers on the nightstand, standing over him now. His face went from amusement to shock in a second.

"So you talked to them already?" she asked.

"Well, yeah. I mean, she came by. Are you from the feds too? She-"

Beca pulled up her sleeve now, and when Leo took in the sight of the four diamonds on her wrist, his eyes bulged, and he gaped at her.

"You better tell me every single thing you told her," she growled.

"I just-" He gulped audibly. "I-she asked about what the tattoos mean. She asked about the number of diamonds, and I told her."

"You want this?" She held up the syringe now, and she knew he thought it was the object of his addiction as his pupils dilated. "I'll give it to you if you tell me all she said."

"She just said they were looking for whoever killed the FBI unit chief. I told her that Bumper's special forces had four diamonds not three."

"What did she look like?"

"Tall, blonde, green eyes."

"Good boy. You open your mouth again, I-"

"I won't. I swear."

"I know."

She sunk the needle of the syringe into one of the open sores on his arms, and his eyes rolled back. It would take six hours to shut down his system, and she would be gone by then. For now, he was on a normal high. She smirked, pocketing the syringe and walking out of the room. As she turned the corner back towards the lobby, she heard "hey!" She tensed instantly, slowly turning around to face the caller. Then her breath hitched. It was her. It was the vibrant redhead she had saved from one of those street punks. Chloe. That was her name. Chloe. Beca's eyes locked on the brilliant blue ones, and she was instantly lost in them.

"Beca!" the redhead called, reaching her in a few more strides. "Hey, what are you doing? Did you overdose?"

Beca snapped out of her trance as Chloe's features went from surprise to concern.

"Huh?" the brunette breathed. "Oh, uh, no, I got lost in here. I was checking on a friend of mine."

"Oh, I see. Yeah, you're on my turf."

"I see that."

"I thought I'd never see you again."

"Well, I didn't exactly plan on it."

Chloe gasped and swatted the brunette's arm. "That's so rude."

"I've been told." She smirked.

"So, this must be a sign from someone."

Beca raised an eyebrow. "What type of sign?"

"Well, that we should be seeing each other more often."

"Is that right?"

"Yeah."

"You don't want that, Red. You're _way_ out of my league."

"How do you figure?"

"Just trust me."

"Must you sell yourself short?"

"Doesn't the height give it away?"

Chloe giggled. "Cute."

"No, not cute. Badass."

"Are you a bad boy?"

"I plead the fifth on that."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah."

"Well, can you tell me over dinner?"

"Like I said, Red, that isn't a good idea."

"Can I be the judge of that?"

"I'd rather not."

"Do you-not find me attractive?"

Beca could feel her cheeks catch fire. "I-I-I never said that. That isn't- I didn't mean-"

Chloe giggled again. "Okay, Beca, calm down. I was kidding." Just then Chloe's pager went off, and she grunted. "Shit. Okay, I have to go but-"

She pulled her prescription pad out of her pocket and a pen, and Beca smirked as she scribbled something onto the paper and handed it to Beca."That's my number. Text me sometime."

"We'll see."

Chloe suddenly leaned forward and kissed her cheek tenderly before scurrying off. Beca's jaw dropped, her hand instinctively reaching up to touch her cheek. She could not believe that it was her. It was the woman with the vivid blue eyes that haunted her dreams, many of her thoughts and even at times her reality as they would appear in the street then quickly disappear. She looked down at the piece of paper in her hand before stuffing it in her pocket. There was something very wrong, and Beca couldn't help but feel like the redhead was not going to vacate her thoughts anytime soon. Or her life.

When Beca arrived at the warehouse, she dropped Benji off and walked into the back office where Cal was.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"He talked," Beca snorted. "He thought I was 'another pig', and he admitted he talked. He told some fed about the diamond code. They came looking for Caine's killer."

"You?"

"Yeah, but don't worry. He got his dosage."

Cal smiled, his bright brown eyes twinkling. "Good. I'll relay to Bumper, but he'll probably want to know who the pig was."

"He said tall, blonde, green eyes. It was a woman."

"Okay, kid, I'll get back to you. Thanks."

"Yeah."

She walked out of the office then, anger pulsing through her though she wasn't sure why. No, she did, but she refused to admit it to herself. She was giving away FBI agents now, and though the bureau was home to the most moles out of any law enforcement branch, they were still comrades until proven otherwise. Yet, she was angry they were looking for "B" the killer, and she nearly forgot who "Beca Mitchell" the SWAT agent was. It was unbelievable, and she knew she should be worried about her state of mind, but one look around at the life she had been tossed into, and it no longer mattered. She liked it, the thrill of it, maybe more than she should.

Sure enough, Bumper later put Beca on the trail later for the FBI agent asking questions. Kimmy Jin was apparently handling business in upstate New York, and Bumper wanted Beca to handle it. He had fallen in love with the ice in her eyes. He had finally found his ideal soldier. Kimmy Jin was skilled, strategic, careful. Beca was cold-blooded and ruthless. She was the brutal monster he needed when proving a point. Sure, Kimmy Jin could do the job, but it came so naturally to an ex-marine. It came so easily that all doubts and suspicions about the small brunette went out the window. There was no way she was an officer of the law. She was a killer.

* * *

"What's this?" Stacie asked, picking up the small slip of paper off the desk.

"Nothing," Beca grunted, her face in the pillow and the sheet covering only half of her bare body.

"It doesn't look like nothing. It looks like a number." She gasped. "B!"

"Shut it, Stacie."

"It's a number! Who gave you their number?"

"Some doctor at the hospital."

"Ooh, a doctor? Sounds-"

"Nope."

"Beca, why not?"

"Can we not-"

Stacie's eyes bulged. "Beca! You like her!"

Beca looked up now, eyes half open. "Shut up!"

"You like her, and you're scared, so you won't talk about it."

"She's just-a doctor."

"Yeah, just a doctor. Beca, you can't lie to me. I'm your best friend."

"What sort of best friend-"

"Don't go there. Whatever you were gonna say, don't. I only ever do what's best for you."

Beca grunted once more. "Ugh."

"You should call her."

"What? Why?"

"Because you like her."

"Is this your way of saying you don't wanna sleep together anymore?"

Stacie chuckled. "No, that's not it. What I'm saying is that we had a deal. Is this what you want for the rest of your life, Beca? Fucking your best friend?"

"You make it sound so wrong. It's easier. Painless. Safe."

"The Beca Mitchell I know doesn't play safe. Hence, our current situation."

"Well, emotions are different. Physical risk is much easier to fix."

"Are you serious? You're scared of emotions?"

"I'm not scared. I just don't believe in them being worth shit."

"Scared. Becs, really. You should call her."

"Stacie, you know I couldn't even if I wanted to. We're here for a reason. There's no time for that. I can't tell her who I am, and relationships don't last based on lies."

"Oh, so you're thinking relationship, huh?"

"I'm done talking."

"Beca, you can be your usual mysterious self."

"What kind of relationship is that?"

"Be honest with me. As your best friend. Do you like her?" Beca scoffed. "Come on."

"I-I don't know."

"Do you think about her."

"Yeah, I do."

"Then you like her."

"And?"

"Normal people capitalize."

"I'm not normal."

"And that's what makes you so special, Baby. Now, text her. I'm gonna hit a shower."

Stacie placed the number and Beca's phone on her pillow beside her head then sauntered out of the room. Beca could only gape at her as she disappeared into the bathroom before looking over at her phone. Hmm. Maybe a text couldn't hurt.

_"Hey."_

The response was almost immediate. _"Who is this?"_

_"Your knight and shining armor." _Beca smirked, promising that if Chloe didn't guess it, she would drop it altogether, but once again, Chloe's response was lightning fast.

_"Beca! You texted! :)"_

The brunette chuckled. _"Yeah, I did."_

_"I guess you're not selling yourself as short as I thought."_

Beca decided to just lay it out now and let the redhead decide the fate of whatever this was. _"Let me just be clear here. I'm not open or normal or happy or any of that. I don't answer personal questions. You're lucky you know my first name." _

Still, a quick answer. _"I'm a patient person, Beca. Just try it out. I don't do this often either. I haven't dated since high school. This is new to me."_

_"But you're willing to divulge information. I'm not."_

_"That's fine with me. I don't need the background story. I just want who you are now."_

Beca could not believe the nerve of this girl. What would she say if she knew what Beca was, who she was. It made no sense to her, but she was sure she would find out.

_"You'll regret it, Red."_

_"That would be up to my opinion and I, Brown."_

* * *

Aubrey's trail had started cold. She had no leads, no clues, and she couldn't find a tattoo with four diamonds for the life of her. She was now sitting in the coffee shop with Chloe, and she couldn't understand what her next move should be. She was beginning to lose faith. Internal Affairs had been up the bureau's ass all week as three more agents were arrested with unprofessional ties to the Syndicate. Aubrey sipped her coffee as Chloe stared out the window. She had finally been able to contact Benji, and he was to be meeting them for lunch.

"I hope he isn't mad," Chloe huffed.

"Why?" the blonde asked.

"Bree, you know you always talk to him like a criminal these days. He hates it."

"Yeah, well, if he was a bit more responsible-"

"Just please, Bree. He won't say anything if you do all that."

"Yeah, I got it. You didn't tell him I was here, did you?"

"How could I? If he asks, you just came to get coffee, and you found me. If he gets mad, you'll have to leave."

"I understand."

* * *

"Come on, kid," Beca sighed, ruffling Benji's fluffy curls. "What is it?"

"You said you would come," he pouted.

She chuckled. "Dude, you gotta toughen up. Don't pull that shit with me. It doesn't work here. I know I said I would go, but I have some things to handle, and I'm glad that I have somewhere to put you for it. Just text me when you're done, and we'll get you."

"Yeah, okay."

"Now, smile."

He grinned, and Stacie pinched his cheeks from the back seat before he swatted her hand away and opened the door to the truck, stepping out on the side of the diner he was meeting his sister at. Beca waved at him before taking off. Stacie climbed into the passenger seat.

"So..." CR sighed from the back seat. "Where are we meeting Evans?"

"The only place safe enough to do so," Beca returned. "The grove out in the woods."

"Yeah, this is true. We have to push it up, don't we?"

"Yeah, shit's moving too slow, and I have to kill one more officer, I'm gonna lose it."

"Sorry about that, B."

"Don't be. You know I hate that word."

"Yeah."

* * *

Benji entered the diner, and his face fell when he saw that Chloe wasn't alone at her booth. Before he could turn around and rush out however, she waved to him. He stalked over and sat beside her tentatively.

"Hey, Ben," she greeted, giving him a sideways hug.

"Hey," he replied.

"Benji," Aubrey greeted over the rim of her cup.

"Hi, Aubrey," he said softly.

"How have you been?" the redhead asked in her usual bubbly voice.

"Good. I've been good."

"How's school?" Aubrey asked.

"It's fine."

"So where's your friend?" Chloe asked.

"Uh, she had to help out another friend today."

"It's a woman?" Aubrey scoffed, and Chloe gave her a warning glare.

"So what have you two been up to?" Chloe injected.

"Nothing. We just hang out. She works-at a car garage." It was the excuse they had agreed to use. "I help out there."

"How old is this girl?" the blonde asked, but Benji only shrugged.

"I ordered you a burger," Chloe told him, sliding the plate over.

"Thanks."

"Have you been eating?"

"Yeah, her girlfriend cooks a lot. She's really good."

"Well, that's good. So...you plan on staying there then?"

"Yeah, I like it there. It's close to school, and I have a job."

"She pays you?" Aubrey questioned, and Benji nodded.

Now Aubrey observed him carefully. She took in the skin of his arms, but she saw no tattoo. He seemed relaxed enough, and she allowed herself to relax a bit, hoping that this meant Benji was okay. She was a very paranoid officer by now however, and she did in fact plan to continue to watch the boy.

"What part of town are you staying in, Benjamin?" Aubrey asked.

Benji was quite annoyed by now. He scowled at her. "Why?"

"Well, I think your sister has a right-"

"Aubrey, please," Chloe said softly.

Aubrey eyed the two of them, but she knew this wouldn't get any better. She then nodded.

"Right," Aubrey said curtly. "I should get going. You two have a good lunch, and-be safe."

Once the blonde was gone, Benji sighed heavily. Chloe looked over at him as he slid into the seat across from her.

"Why do you do that?" he asked.

"What?" Chloe replied innocently.

"Why did you bring her along?"

"She's almost as much your sister as I am."

"Yeah, except she's not, and she treats me like a criminal."

"I warned her, but you know how she is."

"So do you. So why bring her?"

"She wanted to come. I don't know. Ben, just be honest with me though. You're okay with this friend? You're taken care of?"

"The best care. I'm happy there."

"You do seem happier. Well, now."

"I am, Chlo. She really gets me. She's like a big brother really." He chuckled. "She's tough. She really looks out for me."

"Well, I'm glad I guess, but I will have to meet her some time."

"Did you really think I was in trouble?"

"I don't know, Ben, but what could I do? You're eighteen in a week, but what I want you to know is that I love you so much, and I cannot lose anymore family."

He dropped his head. "I know. I understand that."

"Why do you ask? What's going on?"

"Nothing. I just asked."

"Right. You know you can talk to me about anything."

"Yeah, I know."

* * *

Evans looked withered, tired, restless. Beca eyed him as they stood in the depths of the forest, the older man smoking a cigarette. His eyes were encircled by darkness, the hue of his irises resorting to a cloudy grey. He was uneasy, tense, weary.

"So you killed him?" Evans asked at last.

"I had to," Beca replied firmly. "Kimmy Jin was with me."

"Yeah, I get it. You want the fucked up truth though? Caine was the one that called in the raid on Jesse's unit. Everdeen had warned him, and he waved it off."

Her eyes narrowed. "Do you know who killed my brother?"

He tensed for less than a second. Then he lied. "No. However, that's not the point right now, Becs. I need you to focus. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Do you remember your mission?"

"What the fuck does that mean? Of course I remember the mission."

"You just-you seem so-so distant. I don't know."

"I'm fine, Evans. I just need you to tell me what to do, so that I can get the fuck out of here."

"I need something bigger than just petty witness charges, Becs. I need him caught with something. I need something bigger than that."

"Well, as you can see, he has a bunch of rats doing all that for him."

"I understand, but there has to be something."

"Look, Evans, if there was something, I wouldn't be here. He's handed me just about everything. What can I do about that?"

"How many names do you have under his umbrella?"

"Hundreds and not even closed to finished."

"Can you take them down?"

"Not without risking my cover. You can take down every warehouse in this city. It won't do us any good. We have to go big or go home. You said that just catching him giving the orders won't put him away long enough, but he never gets blood on his hands."

"Yeah, I see that. What about this Donald character?"

"He's pulling in shipments. He's a prior Afghani soldier, and Bumper said he's bringing in something better than drugs."  
"What the hell does that mean?"

She scoffed. "Trust me, if only I knew."

"Beca, we need to know what it is. The only thing that's better than drugs is bombs."

"I'll handle it." She turned to go now.

"And, Becs?" He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she turned around.

"Yeah?"

"Be safe, kid, please. I can't lose you too."

She saw the pleading in his eyes, and it jabbed at her heart, puncturing the ice there and scraping the organ. She knew he had taken Jesse's death as hard as she had, and she knew that he was only scared for her well-being. Everything melted away looking into his eyes, and she did suddenly remember who she was. It was the same feeling she got when looking into Chloe's eyes, the feeling that she wanted to be good again, and it scared her for so many reasons. She just nodded now.

"I will."

* * *

Aubrey watched as Benji slid into a black truck. She wasn't sure how she expected this to go, but she knew that there was something different about the boy, something that scared her to no end. She kept a close distance on the truck, taking down the license plate number. She dialed Denise's number quickly.

"Denise, I need you to run a license plate number for me. 7-4-6-yellow-david-uniform."

"Okay, one second...Okay, that comes up as a-Lauren Pierson."

"What do we have on her?"

"Nothing. Actually, nothing at all."

"As in-"

"As in, it doesn't seem that she exists."

"How is that possible?"

"I mean, we have a social security number and all of that, but nothing. No record, no prior schooling, no employment, no home or apartment leasing, nothing."

"Okay, thanks."

Aubrey hung up, already tense as she gripped the steering wheel tighter. She had been slightly relieved that there had been no marking on Benji, but it was possible that his ranking wasn't high enough for a marking. They had picked up a few boys selling pills without the marking, so she knew this was a possibility. She was worried. How else could she say it? Though he would be eighteen soon, it didn't matter much because if she didn't stop him, she would have to take him in, and she knew it would break many hearts, including her best friend's who was much too trusting to think the worst.

* * *

"B, there's someone following us," Stacie said softly, calmly.

"Yeah, I see it," Beca replied, and Benji tensed, though she didn't see it.

"They fixed the plate, right?" CR asked.

"Yeah. We're good."

"Who do you think it is?"

"It's a personal car, so I'm gonna go with the fuckin' bureau."

"Yeah, I'll take a second on that."

Beca looked through her rearview, eying the agent closely. She took in blonde hair and light skin, but the eyes were concealed behind glasses.

"I think that's the agent that went and talked to Sanchez," Beca said in a hushed tone.

"Really?" CR asked. "At the hospital?"

"Yeah, he said tall, blonde, green eyes." Benji was pale white now.

"What do you wanna do?"

"We'll lead her to the lion's den, don't you think?"

"No!" Benji suddenly roared, and Beca's neck snapped towards him. "I-I mean, don't you think that they'll call backup the moment we pull up to one of the warehouses?"

Beca weighed it a moment. "Yeah, you're right. Okay, let's just see how long we can ride it out. What time is it?"

"1:30."

"Okay, Ben, I'm gonna drop you off at the library. Just go in a moment, so I can lose her."

"Okay. What if she comes for me?"

"You know what to say, kid. I'll be right back for you."

"Yeah."

Beca hurried down the street towards the library. The car kept close, and Beca began to feel pressured and highly irritated. She pulled into the library parking lot, Benji jumping off and walking inside before Beca took off. She watched as the green car took a right. She took a left.

Benji walked inside the library, finding a chair and sitting down shakily. He wasn't surprised when the door opened minutes later, and Aubrey walked in, looking around for him. He pulled one of the books on the table to him and opened it. The tall, blonde sat across from him.

"Benji, what's going on?" she asked sternly.

"Aubrey?" He looked up now, shock in his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"Whose truck is that?"

"Are you following me? Seriously?"

"Benji, who-"

"It's none of your business!"

"If I put you in cuffs, it will-"

"I did nothing wrong." She grabbed his arms now, pulling him forward. "Hey!"

She inspected them closely before he pulled away. "Benji, what are you up to?"

"I'm not up to anything, Aubrey. You're not my mom or my sister, so please leave my friends and I alone."

"Benji, I can't help you if you don't tell me. If you get caught up in it, I'll have no choice but to arrest you, and I-"

"Aubrey, I'm not doing anything. Arrest me all you want. I gotta go. I need you to stay the hell away before you get hurt."

"Is that a threat?"

"Just do it!"

"Who is she, Benji?"

He walked out then, Beca's truck already there, and he jumped into the passenger seat quickly before they sped away.

"What happened, kid?" Beca asked.

"She was looking for the mark," he huffed. "She didn't find it. She asked me who you were. I asked her if she was going to arrest me. She didn't. I left."

"Good job, Ben, good job. We'll get her. Don't worry." He was very worried.

* * *

Uni met the truck as it pulled into the warehouse.

"Bumper needs you upstairs, B," he relayed.

Beca nodded as she stepped out of the truck. She ruffled Benji's hair before entering the complex, heading for the elevator. She wondered what this was about and why Bumper was there at all in the middle of the day. Had someone followed them out to meet Evans? She brushed those thoughts away as the elevator doors opened to the attic floor. There stood Bumper, Donald, Cal and three other men. There was a table sat in front of them, and atop the table sat several vials full of white powder in them. Donald had on a lab coat, and he was carefully placing more vials into the holder on the table, gloves slid over his hand. She quirked an eyebrow as she entered, and Bumper looked up at her.

"There she is!" he exclaimed. "Come on over, B. You good?"

"Yeah, I'm good," she replied.

"Come over. Sit down, and we can get started."

She did so, and Cal and the other three men sat beside her in front of the table. He handed each of them a surgical mask, and they slid it on, eyebrows raised.

"Okay," Bumper sighed, stepping beside Donald. "So, as we know, Greg Gorenc has been trying to rip us off countless times. Not only that, Crowned Kings have been cutting off shipments and selling it as their own. In other news, We're having some tough times with the bureau cracking down on our business, and, well-I don't like that. We-have found a solution however, something much better than the usual. I have a way to supply Greg and the Crowned Kings first and foremost with some help from our middle east brethren. Donald?"  
Donald stepped forward now, gingerly picking up a vial and raising it.

"This-" he drawled, pointing at the vial. "Is Bacillus anthracis."

Beca's eyes bulged. She had learned as much in the Marines. "Anthrax?"

"Correct. As you can see, it looks a lot like our usual product except _this _can wipe out an entire group of people in three hours or less. Open sores, direct ingestion or injection will speed up the process."

"They'll be selling it to people."

"I don't give a crap about those dumb bitches," Bumper scoffed. "We're moving up to the chemical big leagues. Come on, B. What's the problem?"

"Bumper, I think it's genius, but not to sell to the world. _We'll _be losing customers."

"No, not necessarily. The Crowned Kings always try the product first. They won't make it to sell shit. As you know, Greg always tries the product as well."

"How can we let him try it? We can't be in the room with him."

"Oh, no worries. We do everything at the door now. Honestly, B, I don't care if he shorts us one more time because it'll be the last thing he does. Get it?"

"Yeah, I get it."

"Good. So when do we do this?"

"Six weeks from now when we have enough of it, we take the drop to Greg, and you and Donald will do so with your team. Uni and a few of my lower guys will take the shipment to Baton Rouge. That's where the Crowned Kings always stop them, right in South Atlanta."

She nodded. "Okay, sounds good."

"Okay, class dismissed."

Beca stood up and made her way back to the elevator with Cal and the other guys. The man was smirking as they entered.

"This is gonna be fun," he chuckled.

"This is gonna be war," she smirked, but inside, she was trying not to panic.

She stepped onto the bottom floor and waved Stacie, CR and Benji to follow her. They all went out to the truck and slid inside. Stacie could tell she was tense, and she ran a hand over her thigh softly. The muscles there were hard, knotted. She pulled out of the parking lot and headed to the house, watching the rearview mirror intently. When they arrived, she had Benji go inside and order some takeout. When he was through the door, she turned to the other two.

"What is it?" Stacie asked.

"He's gonna distribute anthrax," she huffed.

"Anthrax? How-"

"Donald and his middle eastern terrorist contacts. He's making small drops to the competition first. After that, I have no idea, but that's the plan."

"We have to call Evans."

She nodded. "Do it, and fast because I think the crazy fuck's really planning on starting a war on the FBI first and foremost after he finishes his competitors."


	6. He Doesn't Know She Knows I Know You

**_A/N: Sorry for the slower updates. I'm back to work, so I have a lot going on. Also, getting this story to flow was getting really difficult because things kept getting mixed up. I think I have it now. I'll tell you now that this will probably be about twelve chapters or so, but it should come out pretty well now that it's all mapped out. thank you_**

The man was scared. There was no denying that. America was facing a problem much greater than simple street drugs and pain pills. How can you tackle a problem so large when it was spread across a nation? Where would the source be? Bumper had only divulged his plan to an amount of people so small he could count them on one hand, and he hadn't even given them all of the information. To spread such a chemical would be so destructive that it would cause a national panic. They would have to bring in the military, but what could he tell them? Evans wanted to protect Beca. If anyone found out that it was her that had killed the Unit chief of the FBI, they would not care if she was told to or not. They wouldn't give a damn about the mission. They would have her head on a stick if they found out, but he knew that the FBI had moles going both ways in and out of the Syndicate. It was a risk regardless, and he was terrified that Beca was not worried at all. He had seen something different in her eyes two days before, something he was very familiar with from the day she walked into his office shortly after her return from Afghanistan. It was a look of a killer, one who had made a living out of pulling triggers and living off of blood, the thrill of it. It was the look that insisted she didn't give a fuck about anything because her prior life behind the rifle had infiltrated her mind. It had taken him months to watch the darkness fade from her eyes, to see her come back to life, to be human again, to have morals and standards and most importantly, boundaries. The longer she stayed undercover, the further she descended into that state of mind again, and to him, that was his little girl drowning. He couldn't do it again. He couldn't lose another child to the life of drugs and guns. His own blood daughter had killed herself when the drugs took over, and Jesse had risked everything to shut Bumper down. If he had to do it again, he would surely succumb to the ache in his chest. No, not this time. He refused to do so this time.

Chloe smiled at her phone as another text from the mysterious brunette arrived. They had been texting sporadically after Chloe had handed over her number at the hospital, but each text that came in made the redhead smile. She still had not told Aubrey about the brunette, and she didn't plan on it anytime soon. The last thing she needed was a lecture from the blonde. She did wonder what it was that the brunette did that had her busy at such random times of the day. Still, she would not ask because Beca had made it clear. She wouldn't be forced to talk, and she would do so on her terms. Even with that in mind, Chloe could just not bring herself to walk away. She was thoroughly intrigued by the other woman, and the fact that they had run into each other twice now had convinced Chloe that Beca belonged in her life for whatever reason. Chloe was a dreamer surely, and she believed in things like fate and soul mates. This was just part of the journey, the rocky start.

Beca was trying not to smile at her phone as she read another text from the bubbly redhead. She had been working overtime trying to watch Bumper as well as work each job she was handed. That on top of watching over Benji, Stacie and Cynthia Rose gave her very little time for anything else, but the text messages from Chloe always seemed to make time freeze. Stacie loved to tease her about it, and their usual nights under the sheets had been cut down, and not just because of the job. Beca had felt different when sharing her bed with Stacie after she started talking to the redhead, and she had no clue why. There were times when she had to force herself to want the intimate interactions, and it was unlike her. Usually, all Stacie would need was a simple touch or rogue comment, and the brunette was good to go. Lately? Eh, not so much. Still, she had no time to dwell on it, and it was why she hated emotions so much.

* * *

After meeting with Evans for the second time in two days out in the grove, Beca found herself in Bumper's lair with only the man himself present across from her.

"Now, B," he sighed. "I trust you, probably more than I should, but I do. You've proven yourself to me, and with your prior experience, I trust you to help me fulfill this plan. Donald is creating our new 'super drug' in two labs as of right now. We aren't giving away anything right now, but after the first two drops, there will be panic. We plan on setting up a warehouse to have the FBI raid purposely a few weeks after the initial drops so they can-get their dosage. I'll need you watching this warehouse as well as the labs after the first drops. You're going to be my go-to now, B. I see it in your eyes that you can handle this. Am I right?"

She nodded, face absent of emotion. "Most definitely."

"Good, that's what I like to hear. You'll be working directly with Cal, and you and Donald will still do the first drop. I need you on your A game. Can your team handle it?"

"Yeah, no problem."

"You keep this up, Mitchell, I'll give you full reign over my western branch."

She only nodded now, a spark in her chest throwing her off for a moment. She could run her own half of the Syndicate if she...wait, what? No, she couldn't think about that. Her job was to bring it down, and they didn't have time for that. They had chemical warfare on their hands. What the hell was wrong with her? By the time she left the lair, she found it difficult to breathe. She could not believe herself. She was honestly excited about Bumper's offer? Where was her head? She needed to focus. She needed to shake the option of continuing on this path. She had a job to do then she would get out. As she slid into the truck, the perfect distraction to remind her who she was buzzed her cell.

_"Are you busy?" _Chloe's text message read, and Beca smiled but kept her reply reserved.

_"Why?"_

_"I wanna see you. Can we meet at the steakhouse on 5th and Berkley?"_

Beca thought it over a moment, and she knew it was the best way to clear her head, to drop everything going on if even for a moment, but she also had to make sure she kept Chloe safe.

_"How about I meet you at work, and we go somewhere special?"_

_"Yay! Okay, see you in a bit! xoxo"_

Beca smiled and tossed her phone on the passenger seat. She headed to the main warehouse to pick up the others then she had Stacie drop her off at the hospital, saying she would be home later. Stacie, thinking it was for a job, didn't ask any questions. She dropped the captain off at the ER entrance, and she bade them goodbye before calling the redhead. Before she heard an answer, she was nearly tackled from behind, arm and legs wrapping around her body and soft lips against the shell of her ear. She shuddered.

"Jeez, Red, are you trying to kill me?" she asked, placing her phone in her pocket.

"No, not at all, but don't worry," Chloe whispered. "I'd be able to revive you."

"Yeah, of course."

"So where are we going?"

"Let's pick up some takeout first then I'll show you. You drive."

"Uh, no." Chloe tossed her the keys. "Your show. You run it."

She smirked as the redhead led her to her car. When they reached it, they slid inside, and Beca started it up. Chloe sat beside her with a large smile on her face, glancing over periodically at the brunette beside her.

"You're staring," Beca smirked, her eyes locked on the road.

"Am not!" Chloe shot back, looking out the window.

"Sure, Red. How was work?"

"It was good. I didn't get punched today, so that's always a good day."

Beca chuckled. "Well, that's good."

"Yeah, and how was your day?"

Beca only tensed a moment. "It was fine. What do you feel like eating?"

Chloe recognized the dodge. "Um, how about Chinese?"

"Sounds good to me."

"You were military, right?"

Beca's body froze once more. "Huh?"

"Well, the dog tags around your neck."

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, I was a Marine."

"How old are you?"

"24. You?"

"Me too."

"Hmm, you're a bit young to be a doctor."

Chloe giggled. "Barden needed doctors, so I busted my ass for six years, and I took college prerequisites in high school, and I made it in record time."

"Impressive."

"Thank you. What are you doing now then?"

"I, uh, I'm a mechanic."

"Really? Well, I should've guessed. You know how to change a tire."

"Most normal people do, Chlo."

Chloe turned to her now with a beaming smile. "Was that an insult?"

"Nope." Beca shook her head. "I was stating a fact."

"Sure."

After picking up Chinese, Beca drove up the road and out of city limits. She took a trail up the hills around Barden, turning off on a dirt path.

"Are you bringing me up here to kill me?" Chloe asked, concern etched in her face.

Beca barked a laugh. "Why would I do that? You might save my life one day."

Chloe only shrugged as Beca pulled into a small opening and turned off the car. She grabbed the bag of food and gestured Chloe to get out. The redhead followed her down a ways until they found themselves on a lone beach along a glistening lake.

"This is beautiful," Chloe gasped.

"Eh, it's alright," Beca shrugged, placing the bag on a picnic table near the shoreline. They sat down, and Beca unloaded the food. Chloe was still gawking at the lake by the time Beca started eating, and the brunette smiled fondly at the sight. Those bright blue eyes gleamed with awe and excitement like a child. When she had finally taken it all in, she turned to the table. She sucked her teeth as Beca gulped down a piece of chicken.

"What?" the brunette asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"You're eating without me," Chloe pouted.

Beca chuckled. "What are we? Five?"

"HA HA HA. Funny."

"I have no idea what you want me to say."

Chloe began eating then, savoring the taste of her teriyaki chicken and noodles. Beca's fork froze in midair as Chloe scooped up noodles with her chopsticks. She still could not believe she was there with the redhead, but the plan had worked. Her mind was free of thoughts about running syndicates and becoming a full-time criminal. She remembered now who she was. She had a deal with Benji, and she wanted him to make it out. Also, she had Chloe to think about. They would never be in a comfortable relationship while she was undercover. She couldn't take her to the house or out in public. She definitely couldn't go over the redhead's place in case anyone was watching. It would never be safe until Bumper was put away. Or dead.

"So why such a private place?" Chloe asked now.

"I'm a private person," Beca replied simply.

"You weren't kidding."

"Kidding isn't on my resume."

Chloe chuckled. "Of course not. I should've known."

"I agree." There was a moment of silence, and Beca just couldn't help but ask. "Why?"

Chloe froze and looked up at her. "Why what?"

"Why me? You know nothing about me."

"I wish I could say. I just know that there's something that pulls me to you. Like, I need to keep you around. I don't know why."

Beca smiled faintly. "You're gonna be disappointed, Red."

"I'm still waiting for that."

Beca now met her gaze. "You're something else."

"As are you, and that's what keeps us here, isn't it?"

"What do you expect from me?"

"What should I expect from you, Beca? Why do I have to expect anything? It could be a physical attraction. It could be my heart telling me to wait out the silent period. It tells me that patience is a virtue, and it pays off. Like I said, I haven't dated since high school. No one has ever pulled me in like this, so it isn't like I have anyone else. I'm not looking for anyone else. I wasn't even looking when I found you, so I'm following my heart."

"You really believe in stuff like that?"

"My mom always told me that though the heart is the most brittle of organs, it's also the smartest. It doesn't often give direction of its own accord, but when it does, you follow it relentlessly. Sometimes it takes your mind some time to catch up, but it will. At some point, the pieces come together, and it will all make sense. I believe that."

"Wow."

"What?"

"You're making it really hard to stay away."

"Then don't."

* * *

Aubrey had been all over Barden questioning Syndicate members about the black truck, but no one would or could give up a name. She got nowhere with her questioning, and irritation was an understatement. Denise had been checking all known members of the Syndicate with no ties or leads whatsoever. Aubrey considered the idea that maybe Benji's friend wasn't in the Syndicate, but then again, what was with the license plate? Still, she had no leads, and she knew she would have to find the truck again along with its owner to get any answers. She hadn't had a full night's sleep in weeks, but she wasn't too upset about it. She texted Chloe here and there to make sure the redhead was okay, and she was. She needed a break of some sort however before the FBI began drowning in its own mistakes. It had become the laughing stock of law enforcement, and she couldn't take that lying down. She had worked her ass off to get back to the front lines, and with the director herself coming to her for help, she knew that failure was not an option. She walked into the precinct that night to find Denise still at work.

"Find anything?" the brunette asked.

"Not a damn thing," she huffed, flopping into the chair beside Denise. "These high school kids won't talk or don't know anything about the truck."

"Well, you should know that the guy you questioned about Caine? Leo Sanchez?"

"Yeah?"

"He's dead."

"What? How?"

"Overdose."

"In the hospital?"

"Yeah."

"Did he have any visitors that day?"

"Yeah, the receptionist said that he had two that day. She said the first was just a young woman with brown hair holding flowers. Said Leo was her cousin. The second was a young man, about five-foot-nine with dark hair, a beard and dark eyes. Tattoos. Said he was a cousin as well. He died six hours after the first visitor, two hours after the second."

"So, two cousins. You have a family record?"

"Based on our records, Leo Sanchez had no immediate family. Dad's in prison, mom's dead, brother dead, and one maternal aunt lives in Washington State, but nothing else."

"Now that's odd. Print me a copy of the report."

"Already done." Denise handed her a piece of paper.

"Thanks. Anything else?"

"No, but they did say that the drugs he was given were bad."

"So they meant to kill him?"

"Looks that way."

"Okay, I'll get out on looking for these two. Ask them some questions."

"Sounds good. Call me if you need me."

"As always."

Aubrey set out then, intent on finding either the truck or a couple of brunettes to question. She knew she would have more luck with the truck though. Yeah, she needed to find that truck.

* * *

Beca sipped her beer slowly as Stacie, Cynthia Rose and Benji ate. They were at a local steakhouse a week since Beca's first date with Chloe, and they had been out almost every night or morning since. After each date where they ate or had coffee and talked about general topics, she had left the brunette with a peck on the cheek and a wide grin. She had seen Chloe on that morning, and she had been informed that the FBI was investigating Leo Sanchez's death, and the receptionist had tried to give a description of Beca. She did hear that it had not been too vivid however, but she was aware that this agent wasn't going to quit, and she had to stop it before it spiraled out of control, and blew the brunette's cover. Beca now sat with her beer, tapping her fingers on the tabletop.

"You okay, B?" Benji asked from beside her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied with a soft smile, ruffling his hair. He was more and more like Jesse every single day, always worrying about her, checking on her. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"So, anything new on that agent?" Stacie asked.

"No, but I know she ran the plates that first time," Beca replied, taking a bite of her steak. "I had Luke fix that. It ties in now to a Lauren Pierson that works at a car garage or something."

"Nice."

"Yeah, but I'll have to take care of it for good sooner or later."

As she took another sip of her beer, her phone began to ring. It was Chloe. She kept her expression blank as she stood up slowly. Her team looked up at her, and she held up the phone.

"Be right back," she told them. "Got a call."

They nodded, and she walked away from the table quickly. She ended up outside leaning against the truck as she answered the phone.

"It's only been a couple of hours, Red," she answered with a smirk.

"Yeah, but I miss you," Chloe replied, and Beca could hear the pout in her tone.

Beca huffed, her body tensing up as always. "You're gonna be the death of me, Red."

"I'm gonna take that as a compliment."

"Of course you are. Shouldn't you be saving people?"

"Well, we don't have any new patients yet, and I already did my rounds. Did I interrupt something?"

"Oh, no. I was just hanging out with-some friends."

"Oh, I see. So...when can I see you again?"

"You don't let up, huh?"

"I told you."

Beca snickered. "Right. Well, I don't know. When are you free?"

"I start my three days off tomorrow."

"I'll see what I can do."

Beca then heard Chloe huff. "Okay, patient coming in. I'll text you."

"Okay, Red, have a good night."

"You too."

* * *

Aubrey had given up for the night. It was late, and she had not had any sleep in the last forty-eight hours whatsoever. She was exhausted, and her vision was blurred severely. She would be no good out on the streets like this. Chloe had just begun her shift at the hospital. She figured she would stop by to check in before heading home and slaving over more profiles of Bumper's boys. As she passed through the streets, she kept her eyes peeled regardless, but she saw nothing that sparked any interest. Then, as she passed Gate's Steakhouse, she saw something that nearly made her slam on her breaks. It was a black truck, a short brunette leaning against it. She glanced at the license plate. Sure enough, it was the license plate she had had Denise run before. She pulled into the steakhouse parking lot quickly.

* * *

As Beca hung up her phone, preparing to go in, a dark green car pulled up beside the truck. She knew the car. It was the one that had followed them from picking Benji up, the one who had spoke to him in the library. Beca let an irritated huff, knowing that getting arrested right now would blow everything up. Telling the FBI she was undercover would not help anything when they had already been sabotaged and infiltrated to its limits. She was only glad that she had left gun and all back at the warehouse as they would have to return after dinner. The agent that stepped out of the car should be glad too because had the brunette been armed, it may have become ugly. After all, Beca had been given the green light on the nosey agent.

"Can I help you?" Beca asked, annoyance in her tone.

"This your truck?" the blonde asked.

"Who's asking?"

Aubrey flashed her badge. "FBI."

Beca chuckled. "What do you need?"

"Whose truck is this, and what's your name?"

"My aunt's truck. Lauren Pierson. Are you here to arrest me, agent?"

Aubrey then blurted the question on her tongue. "Where's Benji?"

Beca's eyes bulged as did Aubrey's, but the brunette quickly recovered. "I don't know who you're talking about. Who the hell are you, and what do you want?"

"I'm-his sister's best friend, and I need to know he's safe. I will arrest you right here, right now if you don't tell me who you are and whose truck this is because the plate doesn't answer the question, and Benji means a lot to me."

"Oh, and take me to the bureau?" she scoffed. "You mean the crooked fucks helping Bumper tear this city apart? Be my guest, agent. I'm sure you might have a few straight arrows still in the quiver you can pit against me. You should really check the plates again too. It's clean."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Agent, I'm only going to warn you once. Get back in your car and drive away."

"Why would I-"

"You want to walk out of this lot alive, you need to walk away right now."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's not me you'll need to worry about. You can try to arrest me, or you can walk away. Your choice, but there's nothing you can hold me for. All you have is a lot of speculation and a personal vendetta."

Aubrey eyed the girl a moment, but the brunette would not back down. Aubrey could not see any tattoos or anything beneath the long-sleeve she wore, and she was right. There wasn't much she could do, but she had been blinded by her selfish worries. Could it be that this was a different truck with clean plates? However, this brunette seemed to know what she was doing and saying. Aubrey decided to step away for now and look at this closer. She knew she had made a misstep. She knew this was bad, but she also knew that there was something about this brunette she was missing. She knew this. Without a name to go on, she would have to go through the entire database to find who this woman was. She slid into her car and sped off in the direction of her office. She had a lot to do and maybe not so much time when she was sure this woman knew who Benji was, and she would not divulge the information. Her patience running out, she called Denise.

"Eldridge, I need you to pull up that-Lauren Pierson again," Aubrey ordered.

"That was...okay, one moment," Denise replied, and she put the blonde on hold. She was back seconds later. "Okay...this is crazy. Yeah, it comes up now. Lauren Pierson, owns a car garage in...Baltimore, Maryland?"

"For serious?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Okay, thanks."

Aubrey was not convinced whatsoever, and her mind was racing. She was sure she had once again been tricked. She should have just arrested the brunette and delt with the consequences after. Now, she was back to square one.

* * *

Beca was angry. She had hurried Stacie, Cynthia Rose and Benji out of the steakhouse and led the three of them out to the truck, no one saying a word. Beca slid into the driver's seat quickly, and they all piled in. Then she drove quickly down the backroads and out of city limits. She found the first turnoff and took it down into the woods, into the grove. When she came to the small clearing about two miles off of the road, she pulled to a halt. Still, no one had said anything. She stepped out of the truck and opened the doors. Everyone stepped out as well, and she grabbed Benji by the shoulder, pressing him against the truck roughly enough that it startled him.

"Benji," she growled. "I'm trying to take care of you. I'm trying to be your friend and keep you alive, but I need you to be completely honest with me. Who the hell do you know in the FBI?"

Benji's eyes widened, and he gulped audibly as Cynthia Rose and Stacie gathered around, shock in their eyes as well. The anger in their captain's eyes severely scared them.

"I-she-she's my sister's best friend, but that's it," he managed only just above a whisper.

"Why didn't you tell me? What is her name?"

"Are you gonna-"

"Just tell me her name, Benji, before it gets worse!"

"She-it's Aubrey. Aubrey Posen. She's just my sister's best friend. That's why I didn't agree to go to their house. They live together. That's why I told my sister not to let her come around when we meet up. I swear, B, that's all. She treats me like a criminal too, and I don't talk to her."

"You sure she didn't say anything else to you in that library?"

"The only other thing she told me was that if I didn't tell her who was in the truck, she couldn't help me. I wouldn't tell her. She said she would have to take me in, and I told her that if she didn't want anyone to get hurt, she would leave it alone."

"She just came up to me. She asked about you, Ben! If Bumper finds out, he'll kill all of us! Your sister too! Do you realize that? I have-"

"B, you can't kill her."

"What choice do I have!"

"I-I don't know, but please!"

Beca sighed, rage in her face as she banged her fist into the truck door. Then she put a finger in Benji's face. "You stay away from her, Benji, for now. I'm serious, and you stay off the streets. You will get yourself killed talking to feds like that. I can't protect you then!"

"Okay, I understand. I'm sorry."

"Are there any more secrets I need to know about?"

"No, that's it. I swear on my mother."

"Get back in the truck. We'll be right back."

Benji did as he was told quickly, and Beca led Stacie and Cynthia Rose a little ways away into the trees. She turned to them.

"What the hell was that?" Cynthia Rose asked.

"A fed came up to me last night at the steakhouse, asked me about Benji. She's his sister's best friend, and she thinks he's mixed up in this shit. Now, she's on my ass."

"Would it be so bad to tell the FBI you're undercover?"

"Stacie, we can't do that. If I could, I'd call Evans and have them call her off, but the bureau is full of moles. We can't trust them for anything."

"Yeah, that's true."

"Let's go. We have to get back, and I have to figure out what to do here. We have to switch cars too."

"We'll take care of him, B," Cynthia Rose said. "Don't worry."

"I know, but if this bitch doesn't get off of our tail, we'll have alot more than him and her to worry about."

* * *

Beca finished up a deed for Bumper that night before heading home with the team. As she drove, she received a text message. It was from Chloe.

_"Hey, can you come to the hospital please?"_

Beca pondered it a moment. With everything happening, she should be focused on trying to keep the feds off of her, but with Chloe being Chloe (yeah, such a complex reason), she couldn't fight the feeling of wanting to see the redhead. Still, she gave her usual initial response.

"_Why?" _it said. The reply was almost instantaneous.

_"I still need a reason? Fine. I wanna see you, and I had to stop here really quick. xoxo :)"_

Beca couldn't help but smile at that, shaking her head as she set her phone in the cup holder before heading towards Barden University Medical Center, telling Stacie she needed to be dropped off. She couldn't bring herself to admit she had been thinking about the redhead every day since their first meeting, but she knew she had to be slick. She could not be seen with the redhead. When she arrived at the hospital, she jumped off of the truck quickly, and Stacie drove off. Beca let the redhead know she was there, and minutes later, she saw the redhead exiting the ER. She planned to let the redhead believe she had walked as usual so that they could take her car. Her truck was probably known by everyone in the Syndicate, and she didn't want Chloe seen in it. She also didn't want to run into the feds again, and they would be switching out cars soon. She pulled her hoodie over her head as she approached the redhead, and when Chloe saw her, despite her exhaustion, she smiled.

"You look-tired," Beca blurted out when she reached her, mentally kicking herself for being such a brainless idiot in front of her tonight.

"You look-suspicious," Chloe replied before suddenly throwing her arms around the brunette, startling her. "Are you walking again?"

"Yeah, it's refreshing."

"Come on."

They wound up n a hotel room in the Northern part of town, and Beca was quick to question it.

"What are we doing here?" she asked.

Chloe beamed at her. "You want privacy," she sighed. "I have a roommate, so..."

"Yeah, so do I."

"So this should work."

They were silent as they entered the room, Chloe throwing off her lab coat and shoes. Beca sat on the single bed tentatively, looking around the room. Chloe watched her closely, still pulling off her jacket.

"What's on your mind?" Beca asked, standing up and looking out the window now. "I see you taking me in."

"Are you a cop or something?"

Beca froze for only moment before scoffing. "No, I'm just-observant."

"Right." She laughed softly now. "You're a bad boy."

Beca chuckled. "I don't know about that, Red. I'm not perfect, but-I'm here."

"You said you were a Marine. I heard they're pretty crazy."

"Maybe a little."

Chloe approached her now, stepping directly in front of her and reaching out to cup her face. Her bright cerulean eyes met Beca's stormy blues, and she gazed into them longingly.

"You're very mysterious."

"I warned you."

"I'm not complaining. Why though?"

"It's just easier."

"What's life without love?"

"Safer."

Chloe scoffed. "You obviously care. You're here."

"Yeah, and I told you, you're gonna be the death of me."

"I think I can deal with that."

Beca said nothing, instead opting to step away and ordering a pizza for them. Chloe was there when she hung up however, sitting beside her on the bed. Chloe slid a hand down her thigh, and Beca tensed at the contact. This was only barely welcomed with Stacie, and Stacie was her best friend. This was a woman who could get her killed, tear down her entire operation, not to mention her heart that she was sure could never be thawed out. Then Chloe's hands ran up her arm, her sleeve slowly riding up. Beca's jaw clenched then. If it went up, Chloe would see her tattoo. She knew the redhead saw enough of them in her line of work to at least have an idea of what it meant. She didn't know what to do, but she didn't want to upset the woman, so she did the only thing she could think of, not thinking of the repercussions at the current moment. It may not have been a thought at all but an urge. She lunged forward, crashing her lips against the redhead's. Chloe was stunned. She eventually reached up and cupped her face, letting out a soft moan into the brunette's mouth. Her arm wrapped around Beca's neck, pulling her down on top of her as she laid on the bed. Beca knew she had done enough, but she somehow could not pull away. The redhead's lips were soft, full and plump, and she tasted of peaches. Beca was melting into her body, entranced by the touch, the feel of their bodies pressed together. They stayed there for a long time, memorizing each other's bodies and indulging themselves in the most enchanting feelings they had ever experienced. Before it could go any further however, there was a knock on the door. Beca pulled away slowly, standing up to get the door. She pulled her wallet out and paid for the pizza before returning to the bed with the box. Chloe turned on the TV.

"I brought some beer up earlier," she whispered to the brunette.

Beca smiled. "You were thinking about me," she noted aloud.

"Well, duh."

Chloe stood up, retrieving two beers from the mini fridge and handing one to Beca. They both settled against the headboard, grabbing a slice of pizza as Chloe tuned to "Criminal Minds".

"So...a hotel was your best idea?" Beca at last asked with a smirk.

"Must you complain all the time?" Chloe shot back.

"I was just curious."

"Well, yeah. I mean, It was raining earlier, so I knew we couldn't just go sit out at the beach. My roommate is a bit-overbearing, and I figured that since I don't even know your last name yet, you wouldn't want to take me home either, so this made sense."

Beca smiled. "You never cease to amaze me."

"I do try."

When the food was finished, and each of them had downed four beers a piece, Chloe curled into Beca's side, her hand thrown across the brunette's midsection.

"If-we lived in another universe, would you be so secretive?" Chloe asked softly.

Beca laughed almost inaudibly, Chloe feeling it in the brunette's chest. "Where do you get this stuff?"

"I just wanna know."

Beca suddenly pulled the redhead into her lap, their eyes meeting. "If we lived anywhere else, it would be so much different, Red. I can promise you that."

"Will it ever be different?"

"I plan on it."

"Do you-like me?"

Beca chuckled once more. "Chloe, let me tell you something. Despite me being secretive and quiet and against all of this, because I am, I can't deny that I'm-drawn to you. If I can't be honest about anything else, I'll be honest about this. I think about you all the time. You've taken over each of my senses, and you have the power to destroy me, and I'm gonna blame the alcohol for ever admitting that to you because that's dangerous info, but I-"

Before she could go on, her lips were covered in Chloe's, and she held hands full of red tresses. Chloe was straddling her lap now, and all of her fears, doubts and concerns melted away once more. There was nothing outside of that hotel room at the moment. There was nothing more than Chloe on Earth right now. She was no criminal nor officer. Neither heard a phone ring multiple times. Neither cared. The TV was now background music. She was apart of Chloe now, their lips fused together. Her mind was cloudy as her shirt was peeled away, her tanktop yanked off, her jeans disposed of. Chloe ran her hands along Beca's neck, Beca unbuckling the redhead's jeans and hooking her thumbs in Chloe's very small underwear.

"I don't want anything else right now," Chloe purred. "I just want you."

"You have me."

As Beca flipped over, laying Chloe on her back, the heat in the room intensified. The air thickened, and Beca could no longer help herself. She had been keeping away from Stacie for awhile now, frustration gradually building up and boiling at intense rates. Now, she understood that it had been Chloe and her effects on the brunette's conscience that had kept her from wanting her best friend. Was this what Stacie had always spoken about? It wasn't that she would make Beca stop what they were doing. It was that Beca would be the one to stop whether she wanted that or not. It was a feeling that took over her entire body and told her what to do, what not to do. No, this could not be. It had to be a physical attraction. She had only seen Chloe a few times. They had barely talked. She never asked Chloe personal questions in order to avoid having to answer them herself. They didn't know each other. Yet, here they were, muddling one another's thoughts and wreaking havoc in the brunette's mind. This could not be love. Beca was sadly mistaken, and she knew it would come to an end one way or another. She only hoped it was a painless one.

Chloe yelled out as Beca thrust two fingers inside of her, her hips creating each moment with stunning strength. Chloe held onto her tightly, nails clawing at the skin of her back as her eyes rolled back and she bit down on her lip to stifle the sounds. Beca was lost in lust or bliss or pure pleasure. Whatever it was had overtaken her mind completely, and she was beneath a haze. She bit down on the skin of Chloe's neck, eliciting a whimper. Beca didn't understand why she had always loved the sound, the alert that let her know she was doing her job as a lover. Chloe was breathing her name, crying out in a thick mixture of pleasure and pain. Beca soon slowed once she gained control, allowing the feelings to take their time in building, to prolong the ending that would either be the beginning of something beautiful or the end of something thoroughly confusing. Chloe huffed into her neck, pulling the brunette's hair in order to lift her head and find her lips. Chloe's legs wrapped tightly around the brunette, pulling her impossibly closer as the heat built. She arched up into each stroke, begging for more. At one point, Beca pulled her up, so that the brunette sat back on her legs, and Chloe straddled her lap once more. Chloe held on tighter, grinding her hips desperately into Beca. At last, Beca was able to hit the perfect spot, and Chloe arched into her, letting out a deep moan that resonated around the room. Moments later, Beca did the same, reaching her own peak before falling over on top of Chloe. Chloe held her close still, running her hand through chocolate brown locks, moving a stray strand from Beca's face. They said nothing, listening to the sounds of their breathing evening out. Chloe kissed the top of the brunette's forehead before Beca rolled over, pulling Chloe so that she now rested her head on the brunette's chest. She pulled the sheet over them, nestling into the brunette's side.

As the minutes ticked by, breathing evened out, and sleep took over Beca, who had not slept well in days. Chloe remained awake, basking in a moment of pure bliss and happiness. She never wanted this to end. She had never wanted anything or anyone else so much, and she didn't think she ever would, not more than she wanted Beca. She didn't understand it, but she felt it, and Chloe had always been one to follow her heart. She listened to the steady heartbeat of Beca now, smiling at the sound. She planned on sticking around, waiting for Beca to open up. She softly traced patterns across the brunette's chiseled abs, the muscles glistening in sweat but looking beautiful. Chloe could not help but admire the other woman in full now. She traced along her collarbone, her neck, her chest. She was beautiful indeed. As Chloe's fingers ran the length of her left arm, which was thrown over her abdomen, Chloe intertwined their fingers. When she did so, she caught a glimpse of black on the brunette's wrist. She looked up to see that Beca was asleep, but she carefully turned over her arm slightly. She took in the tattoo that was inked there. It was a very intricate dagger wrapped in an elegant cursive "T". On the hilt of the dagger was four diamonds...


	7. Lose Yourself

**_A/N: Okay, so this will be a shorter story, but everything is about to get jam packed. It will all happen pretty quickly, but I only hope quality beats out quantity because this story, though vivid in my mind, happened rather quickly. I promise it will be full of passion though because I love the story line. I just got another prompt I really like too so that will be next as well as the sequel to Rebel With a Voice which is up now with its first two chapters. let me know what you think! Thanks_**

* * *

Chloe's eyes bulged as she took in the vivid, detailed tattoo on the slumbering brunette's arm. Aubrey had said something about this tattoo, and she knew it had something to do with the Syndicate because many of her patients had it too, but there was usually only three diamonds. Was Beca part of it? Could she possibly be part of the very organization that had made Chloe's job so important, so necessary? Could she really be responsible for creating the patients the redhead delt with, the very type of people she despised to the depths. How could this be? How could she be falling for someone like this? She didn't want to believe it. She couldn't. Yet, that would explain the mysterious and private behavior, and the proof was in the ink.

Before her thoughts could continue, she heard her phone buzzing from the floor. She carefully extracted herself from bed and reached for it. When she found it, she saw Aubrey's name flash across the screen. As much as she didn't want to be lectured by the blonde, she had to ask the question. She had to know what she was dealing with. She rushed into the bathroom and locked the door, answering the phone.

"Chlo, where are you?" was Aubrey's opening question. "I stopped by the hospital. You weren't there, and there's a storm brewing."

"I-I came to see Grandma," she replied shakily. "Where are you?"

"I'm home for a bit to get a power nap in before getting back to work."

"Oh, hey, about that. You told me to check for a tattoo on Benji's wrist. You said to check the diamonds. What do they mean?"

"Why?"

"I-I saw some of those tattoos on my patients. What do the diamonds mean?"

"I can't tell you that-"

"Bree, please. I need to know."

Aubrey paused a moment before puffing out a breath. "Three diamonds means that they're part of the syndicate, but they're not that important. Four diamonds is something I've never seen, but we're told that they are Bumper's elite soldiers. There's only a few of them somewhere, and we're led to believe that one of them killed Chief Caine."

"You've never seen them? How do you know they exist?"

"Well, that's what I was told by Leo Sanchez then he wound up dead."

"Yeah, I remember."

"So I'm pretty sure they are, otherwise he wouldn't have been killed."

"RIght."

"Chloe, is there something you're not telling me?"

"Huh? No, I just-I was thinking about Benji, and I just wondered what it would mean."

Aubrey sighed. "He didn't have the tattoo, remember, Chlo?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"I still don't know if that means he isn't in it, but the tattoo wasn't on him."

"Right. What-what would you have to do to get one?"

"You would have to kill someone, Chloe. For four diamonds, you would have to kill someone very important, like Chief Caine. They're the most dangerous of Bumper's men."

Now, Chloe heard the sheets outside ruffle. "Uh, okay, Bree, I'll call you later. Grams is waking up, and I have to get out of here soon."

"Okay, give her hugs and kisses for me, and be safe, Chloe."

"Yeah."

Chloe quickly hung up and flushed the toilet to make it sound as if she were using it. She then opened the door. Beca had rolled over but had not awoken, and that left Chloe with a decision to make. She could run. She should run. She should disappear and never speak to the brunette again. She should forget this whole thing, ignore her stupid heart and get out while she had the chance. She should think about her brother and what she had been trying to save him from, protect him from. She should go into witness protection or something. Yet, as she stood eying the brunette, she didn't see a dangerous killer. She saw a vulnerable, lost soul that needed her help. She couldn't leave. She could not walk away because her heart was here, invested in this relationship, and maybe, if Beca found that she was okay with it, she would open up. She could not believe it though. Had it been anyone else, Chloe would have run for the hills, but she could not do that now. Beca had reeled her in, and instead of dressing and getting out of harm's way, she walked over to the bed and slid back beneath the sheets, snuggling into the brunette's side.

* * *

The panic was instant when Beca's eyes fluttered open. Her body tensed, freezing in its place. She squeezed her eyes tightly once more, getting a feel for her surroundings. It was silent save for soft breathing, breathing that was currently tickling her neck. From the corner of her eye, she could make out a flurry of bright red, and she relaxed only a bit when she remembered where she was, who she was with. Chloe stirred gently, her hand tightening around the brunette's waist. She smiled softly, moving stray strands of red locks from Chloe's face. She wasn't sure how she could let this happen, but at the same time, she knew exactly how it could. She had admitted as much the night before. The fear and panic remained, but it was a dull tick in the back of her mind. She liked Chloe. She really did, and though she willed herself to regret the night before, she just couldn't bring herself to do so.

As she rubbed her eye with one hand, she heard a phone buzzing from below. She gently reached over the side, feeling around for her pants. She reached them, extracting her phone from the pocket. It was Stacie. She answered, trying to speak softly.

"Yeah," she hissed.

"B, where are you?" the taller brunette asked.

"Out. Why?"

"Just wondering. You didn't come home last night."

"No, I'm fine." Chloe's eyes fluttered opened now, but she didn't move.

"We're due down at the warehouse at three."

"I'll be there."

"Evans checked in. The FBI hasn't been in contact since Caine."

"And for good reason. Tell him to keep it locked up. No need for 'em."

"Okay, Cap, see you soon."

"Yeah."

Beca hung up, tossing her phone back on top of her pants. She rested her head back onto the pillow, running her hand through her hair. Chloe looked up now, and their eyes met.

"Good morning," came the redhead's husky voice.

"Morning," Beca responded.

Chloe moved herself up to plant on a kiss on the brunette's jawline, and Beca's hand fell to her waist. It was then that she remembered the tattoo on her other arm, and she quickly pressed it to her side. Chloe's hand ran down it softly.

"You don't have to hide from me, Beca," she husked into the shorter woman's ear.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Beca asked, playing dumb.

"I know. I'm playing with fire, and I can't bring myself to care."

Beca met her eyes again now, looking for any sign of deception, but all she saw in those bright baby blue orbs was sincerity, passion.

"You should be running," she breathed.

"I should be," Chloe agreed, "but I can't. This can be our little secret."

"You deserve better."

"So do you, but here we are."

"I can't answer the questions in your eyes."

"I know you can't, and I wouldn't ask you too. I told you. I want you."

"And I told you. You have me."

"Then we're fine."

* * *

Beca walked into the warehouse slowly, her crew already seated at the table counting the most recent payment of the day. Apart from Cal and Uni, they were alone. Stacie gave her a knowing look but said nothing, and she just smirked, not finding the energy to do much else after another few rounds with Chloe that morning. She wasn't sure how to feel about Chloe knowing one of her biggest two secrets. Chloe believed she was a criminal, and still, she stayed. That would later make it easier to tell the redhead she was undercover, right? It was enticing but terrifying at the same time, and Beca only hoped that they would survive that chaos that ensued.

The brunette was glad that as Bumper's elite, she didn't do much but supervise the ins and outs of the warehouse. Benji gave her a grin as he came back to the table from talking to Cal, and she ruffled his hair. Despite the fact that he knew an FBI agent, she knew he didn't mean any harm. She didn't care for him any less. He was what constantly reminded her what she was fighting for. She wanted to make sure that Benji and every other kid like him didn't ruin their lives in this game. He was due to have dinner with his sister that night, and Beca had to meet with Bumper, therefore forfeiting her presence at the visit. He had seen his grandmother earlier in the day as well, and Beca was glad he had taken the initiative. She didn't know much about family, but she had made it a routine to visit Jesse at least once a month at Barden Cemetery before going undercover. She also had Stacie, Cynthia Rose and Luke, who she missed dearly as well as Amy and even Lily. As she sat looking at Benji, she recalled the days following the raid. She remembered the closed casket ceremony. She had not even been able to give her twin brother a proper goodbye, but she had kissed the casket and set his badge atop it. It had been a very small ceremony, and only their SWAT team members and the sheriff had been let into the chapel. Beca had not gone to the cemetery after, instead opting to get brutally wasted and let out her frustrations in bed with Stacie. She had left the taller woman with bruises, bite marks and scratches, but Stacie had not complained. It had started as something quick at the precinct. Everyone had gone home, calling it a blackout day for a fallen comrade, and she had just taken Stacie atop her desk. After drinks at the local pub, they had wound up at Beca's house, in her bedroom. A few days later, Stacie had complained that her water heater was broken, and she had nonchalantly joined the captain in the shower where another intensely intimate encounter took place. The rest was history. Still, after all of that time, Beca trusted herself to Stacie more than anyone because the woman was a soldier. To her, that was family.

* * *

Aubrey had to be invisible. She could not allow the sheriff's department or the DEA to find out that she had been investigating Bumper's inner workings. This was a completely independent mission now, and even Gail had shut down all communication between branches. She still had an eye out for that black truck, that small brunette or Benji. She talked to several boys on the street here and there, but it seemed that Bumper too had dropped communication to most lower ranks. She felt that something big was going to happen soon. The streets had been much too quiet lately, and it had never been this way. Bumper was a sucker for showing off, for a chance to make himself known and appear untouchable. She pulled into her apartment complex that night, hoping to find Chloe. She had gone looking for the woman the night before, but Chloe had said she was with her grandmother. As she made her way up to the apartment, she did in fact find her best friend in the kitchen singing as she made tea.

"Why are you so happy?" the blonde asked, the makings of a smile twitching at her lips.

Chloe whipped around, her cheeks burning as she gave her best friend a sweet smile.

"I don't know," she replied sheepishly. "I just am."

"That's good I suppose. Did you talk to Benji today?"

"Yeah, we had dinner. He's doing well. He was a lot brighter than usual."

"Did you ask him anything?"

"No, we kept the conversation light. He told me about his friends."

"Did he give names?"

Chloe sighed. "No, Bree, and I didn't ask. He seems okay to me."

"Looks can be deceiving, Chlo."

"Not for my brother. I know him. A few months ago, he couldn't even look me in the eye. He got so angry so quickly, and now he actually talks to me. He said that he and his friends may come over for Thanksgiving."

"Well, that will be lovely."

"Yes, it will be. That means no twenty questions or polygraph tests."

"Of course not."

"How was work?"

"It was-work. Nothing tonight. Did you stay with Grandma last night?"

"Yeah, I did. She's doing well. She was talking to me this morning." Chloe had in fact visited her grandmother that morning. "She remembered me."

"That's good. I'll have to go down and see her soon. So, why did you ask about the tattoos last night?"

"I told you. I wanted to know. Besides, if I see those four diamonds, I could tell you."

"That would be a big help. I'm getting nowhere right now. They're elusive."

"Yeah, no one at the hospital has ever seen one either."

"Well, I'll find one. Eventually."

Truth was, Aubrey knew if she didn't find one soon, they would surely find her.

* * *

Donald handed Beca two pills, drugs that would build some sort of minuscule immunity to the Anthrax. Six weeks had gone by fast. It had consisted of secret rendezvous with Chloe, getting Benji back in school, buying two new cars and a silver-blue truck, dodging FBI and meetings out in the grove with Evans. To say that Beca was exhausted was an understatement. She had become the other half of Bumper's killing machine opposite Kimmy Jin, a debt collector of sorts leaving a trail of bodies in her wake left to local police. Hell, the police force really didn't care anymore. Half of them worked with Bumper. The other half had lost all hope. Barden was being swallowed whole by the beast that was the Allen Syndicate, and there was no place to hide. Beca wondered if she would have a force to return to, and with that came the idea that maybe she didn't have to. The longer this went on, the more probable it became to her that she would just have to take Bumper out. He was gone a lot more lately, and he had been bringing in more heavy artillery and scientists to construct lethal weapons of mass destruction. Bumper was waging a war against the entire country, every officer and competitor in the world the target.

The bags of the "super drug" were loaded up in the Suburban that Stacie would be driving, Beca in the passenger seat with Cynthia Rose, Cal and Donald in the back. Beca had left Benji home, and he had promised to go visit his family in that time. Thanksgiving was a month or so away, and Beca had tried to promise to go with Benji to his sister's house then though she wasn't yet sure with everything about to start up. Before loading up the SUV, she called Benji.

"You okay, kid?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm home," he replied.

"Okay, you be safe, Ben. Don't be running the streets, and don't be talking to that friend of yours. I can't come back and find you locked up or worse, alright?"

"I know, B. I promise. If I go see my grandmother, I take the car. If I go see my sister, we meet at the diner or something, and I always check outside before I leave."

"That's my boy. I'll see you soon then."

"Okay, you be safe too, B."

"Always, kid."

She hung up and slid into the passenger seat, her pistol resting beneath it. Stacie pulled out onto the street, and they headed off for Jacksonville.

"You know a war's gonna break after this, right?" Cal chuckled.

"That's my specialty," Donald smirked. "We're taking over."

"He really plans on taking out the FBI, huh?" CR asked with her own grin to complete the act.

"He hates those feds," Cal snorted. "More than any other. They've put so many undercover, but after awhile, Bumper caught on. He knew the signs. He started turning them for good. Now the FBI isn't trusted by anyone. They're blackballed by all, but they have their heads so far up their asses, they don't see it. They still think they have shit under control. When they did that raid a few years back, it was pretty intense. We had just cleaned out the warehouse, and they came running in. They killed a SWAT officer, you know." Beca tensed. "It was one of their special agents that killed him too, but it goes to show how much the sheriff's department trusts those fucks. They couldn't even tell her he was an agent. Bumper got a kick out of it, but it was sad. That guy really put in a lot of work for the guy. He seemed solid enough."

"You can't trust anybody in this game," Donald huffed. "That's how it goes."

"Yeah, not even a fuckin' badge on the outside. Matter of fact, Bumper's pretty sure that the agent that killed him is the same fuckin' agent snooping around."

"The blonde?" Beca now asked, unable to hold it in.

"Yeah. That's her. She had been undercover too, but she jumped the gun. Got the wrong information. He remembers her too well. She was way too 'curious' working around us, and he knew she was a fed. She fucked up, got an officer killed."

Now Beca was furious, and Stacie slyly reached over to grab her hand, feeling the tension in her muscles.

"We don't have to worry about her," Beca said softly. "I'll handle her."

"We know you will, B," Cal replied. "You're the best cleaner we got. I mean, Kimmy Jin's talented, but man. Your handy work is beautiful."

"I promise you this. That pig will be my finest work of art."

She was seeing red now, unaware of the nervous glances of CR and Stacie or the sadistic grin on Cal's face. She could not believe it. This blonde that had been trailing her was Jesse's killer, and she now had the perfect excuse to go through with revenge. She couldn't even think of Benji right now. She had had more than one chance to handle the blonde, and she had skipped out, trying to hold herself together, but no. One more agent. One more badge and she could be saved, but until that bitch laid in a closed casket the way her brother had, she would never be able to rest comfortably. Now, her trigger finger twitched, and all she wanted to do was go find the woman and lay her conscience to rest.

The drive out into the Jacksonville swamps was its usual silent ride, the only sound being the splashing of alligators and bugs buzzing around. Beca loaded up her pistol as they closed in, Donald already having the surgical masks ready atop the middle console for after the drop. Donald had been clad in a full-body suit when he had packaged the anthrax, mixed with the usual heroin given to Greg. It had been the most careful process ever done, and no one had been in the room without a suit. It was due to kill its receiver in less than three hours, and Bumper had made sure to tell Greg that this batch was the best he had ever produced. That statement alone had prompted Greg to have his entire group of distributors present to try it out. Donald had tested the drugs on animals then moved it up to actual people, those indebted to Bumper that Beca didn't take care of. As they pulled up to the house and Stacie parked it, Beca and the boys jumped out, sliding gloves on, and headed to the back of the Suburban. Stacie flashed the headlights three times then the porch light flickered three times. When Beca and her men reached the door, it opened up, and a man with a shotgun in hand stood there. She smiled.

"Here's the order, big man," she said, offering him a bag.

"Greg wants you to come down," he replied in a deep voice.

"No can do. Last time would explain that. Bring up the payment."

"He'll wanna try it before he pays."

"Okay, here." She stuck the bag out further to him. "Take it down and let him try it. We'll wait here."

The man pondered it a moment before taking the bag with the a grunt and disappearing into the kitchen. Donald chuckled softly.

"Smooth, B," he whispered.

"Gotta be," she replied, her hand now on the handle of her pistol on her belt. "So they won't feel anything at first?"

"Nope. It'll be a normal high. They'll feel that heroin, and the fireworks take about forty-five minutes to start. I'd love to see it, but we don't wanna die."

"We're safe up here, right?" Cal asked.

"Yeah," Donald assured him. "His lair is deep down there. The only concern would be the man coming back up, but he usually stays at the door until he's called in. He'll be infected, but he would literally have to bathe in the shit to get us."

"They keep the money out of the room too," Beca added. "We're good."

Cal nodded then, and they waited patiently. The man finally emerged with two other men in his wake, all carrying bags. They dropped them at the door, and Beca and her crew handed over their bags. Cal and Donald took the payment back to the truck.

"Tell Bumper it's good stuff," one man said with a smirk. "The whole room's on one."

"We always supply the best," Beca replied with a wink.

She turned around then and returned to the Suburban, sliding into the front seat.

"Give it half an hour," Donald sighed as he slid into the back seat, and everyone pulled on their masks. "Greg will be calling Bumper in a coughing fit."

* * *

And he was right. When Beca and the crew arrived back at the warehouse, Bumper himself was there with a wide grin on his face, barking laughter and chuckling heartily.

"Beautiful job!" he exclaimed when they entered. "Perfect! He called me dying, and before he had a chance to get an answer, the call dropped. Now, we prepare for war because Uni just assured me that the Crowned Kings have received their shipment."

"I thought you were waiting on that one," Beca returned.

"Yeah, well, I was, but that call got me excited, so we moved Christmas up. Now, Donald take B here to the labs, let her get acquainted. She'll be guarding them tonight, and in two more weeks we set up the warehouse for our FBI buddies."

Beca and her team followed Donald out then, and Beca struggled to hide her anxiety. They slid into another truck, and Donald headed out of city limits due south. Beca silenced her phone when it started ringing, Chloe's name on the screen. Now was definitely not the time. As Donald pulled off of the main road, Beca took note of the mile marker. They drove downhill for about four miles before pulling onto yet another turnoff, Beca calculating mileage and direction the entire way. Donald had them slip their masks on once more as a precaution entering the radius. They pulled into the clearing and came to a halt. There was a small well there in the center but no other structure. They exited the car and followed Donald. He pulled a rope ladder from the trunk, dropping it into the well before pegging it to the ground. He went down first, the others following close behind him. They descended into the well slowly and carefully, The space wide enough to be comfortable but still a bit nerve-wracking. When they at last hit the bottom, Donald led them down a tunnel further underground at a slop. They reached a door, and Donald had his eye scanned as well as his fingerprint before it opened.

"How the hell did you set all this up?" Beca asked.

"A few helpers from the Afghani military," Donald replied with a grin.

They walked through the door into a large room filled with tables, a bunch of technology, and a few men that seemed the same ethnicity as Donald. There was another room partitioned by plexiglass and plastic where the anthrax was being produced and packaged.

"Where's the other lab?" Beca asked now.

"There's another well about two miles to the west, and it's in there," Donald replied. "We have a few guys over there, and that's where Cal's headed. You guys will swap every few hours. We don't think anyone will find them, but we just wanna be sure. You guys will be relieved in the morning and head back to the warehouse."

"Things are about to blow up, aren't they?" Cynthia Rose inquired.

"You know it. The Crowned Kings will be losing their minds soon."

After touring the lab aside from the actual test room where men in full-body suits were working, the group returned to the top of the well. Beca, CR, Stacie and Uni set up camp right outside of the well, guns loaded up and at the ready. Donald took Cal and his men over to the second lab in the truck, leaving Beca and her group to settle in. They patrolled the perimeter every half hour, falling into a routine. Stacie and Beca walked around the perimeter together as partners.

"I'll call Evans in the morning," Stacie told her, and Beca nodded.

"We won't have them move in yet," Beca replied. "We need to know where this warehouse is."

"Becs, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Why?"

"Look, I know that you wanna avenge Jesse, but it's too risky."

"Stacie, she killed my brother."

"On accident."

"No, they did a sloppy job, and they killed him in the process. I can't let that-"

"Beca." She stopped now, putting her hands on the shorter woman's shoulders. "That isn't you. You aren't this person, this criminal, this killer. You're so much better than that. You have enough blood on your hands. Please, Becs, remember who you are."

"I can't do that. I can't let her walk away unpunished."

"What will you tell Benji?"

Her eyes softened now, remembering Benji's connection to the agent. "I-I don't know."

"He looks up to you. He loves you, and he's scared for her."

Beca pushed her hands away and continued walking. "I have to do what I have to do."

"But you don't have to do this."

"I beg to differ."

Stacie had nothing more to say, but as she watched her best friend, she feared the worst. She was in love with Beca, not romantically, but she felt that they were a different kind of soul mates. They were best friends even without the sexual encounters and the terms of endearment. They had always been that way, Stacie stepping in to pick up the slack Jesse had left behind. She loved her friend more than she cared to admit, but she was worried. She was scared that even when this was over and she took Beca back to the precinct, it would only be a shell of the woman she once knew. The captain's mind had blurred the line between good and bad severely, and she truly conveyed the aura of a criminal. She wasn't the woman she once was behind the badge, but Stacie knew she was similar to the killing machine that had been bred in the military. Pulling a trigger was second nature, and she had seen the woman kill men in cold blood without reason, with only an order from Bumper. What did she expect Beca to do to the woman who had taken her most prized possession, her twin brother? How could she expect Beca to walk away without settling the score? She really could not, and there was nothing that anyone could do about it. When the time came, the agent would fall, and Beca would not feel any type of remorse. She could not even feel guilty about killing John, an old friend and a man who had trusted her. How could she feel guilty about murdering the one that had killed her brother, her twin, her best friend, her only blood family? Stacie wanted so bad to reach out, to hold her, to calm her and make her see her flaw. It was not how they worked however, and Stacie had no idea how to do that. She had no idea how to comfort or console without being naked. It had been the only thing she could ever offer the captain, and it was why she had always prayed someone would come and take her heart, thaw it out and show her how to fall in love. She knew it was the only thing that could save Beca from the destructive path she was on. She wondered if this woman that Beca was seeing would be able to do that, and she could only hope because if not, she stood to lose much more than a captain, a fellow officer, a comrade. She stood to lose the most important person in her entire life, her best friend.


	8. Who Am I?

**_A/N: So yes I am doing both fics at the same time. It may take a bit longer than usual to update, but not too long. I'm working hard, and I'm looking to finish out this one soon. Yes, I understand everyone's scared for Beca, and this chapter will take you inside the thinking of this agent. This fic is written based on the idea that this is possible. Drugs are a real issue in our country, and I know everyone understands that. I'm trying to make it as realistic as possible, and soon, everything will tie up together. I promise. So here we go! Let me know what you think!_**

The warehouse was in the center of East Barden, only five minutes down the road from the FBI precinct. The week had been brutal with gunfights between the Crowned Kings and the Allen Syndicate. The entire governmental body of the rival gang had been wiped out by anthrax, and with that came the panic of the country's law enforcement. When the first victims were found dead, they brought in doctors to diagnose cause of death. When they found that it was anthrax, the military was called in, and they tried their hardest to keep it under wraps from the press in order to avoid an epidemic. National panic would not help anybody. Evans had to keep his own information hidden from his counterparts because if they moved too soon, his team could be killed. Stacie was waiting until the last possible second to tell him the address of the warehouse that was to be given up to the FBI since it didn't seem that Beca was planning to at all. She had changed dramatically in the last week or so, and it frightened her comrades thoroughly though it delighted Bumper to no end. Stacie only hoped the FBI agents would be more careful now that doctors knew of the anthrax outbreak. Bumper had set it up perfectly however.

Bumper was going to send one of his moles into the precinct with one of his finest soldiers to share the information about the warehouse and Bumper holding a meeting there that night, using evidence from Bumper himself to coerce them into raiding it. They would hope it would reel the agents in. If so, they would be instantly infected because the first movement through the door after Bumper's goons vacated the facility would trigger the air conditioner, and the vents were caked in anthrax. They would be dead in hours, and Bumper would bring the game to an all new level. All Beca had to do was guard it until then, not even having to step inside of the warehouse itself, and she could not deny how anxious she was to watch it all happen. She could not explain what boiled inside of her when she wasn't with Chloe or Benji. It were as if she was an all new person, like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The beast came out to play when she was working with Bumper, and she liked it. Yes, she definitely liked it too much, but she didn't care.

* * *

Chloe could not believe what was happening. An entire wing of the hospital had been quarantined. She had just come off of her three-day weekend, spending a good amount of hours with Beca, and she entered the narcotic recovery unit of Barden University Medical Center to find chaos. There were big plastic sheets blocking hallways, military personnel all over the place and doctors clad in full-body plastic suits. There were patients in the hallways laying on their beds idly as nurses planned to move them to another wing of the hospital, and her own coworkers were leaving in packs. She rushed down to the nurse's station, pulling on her jacket and badge.

"Hey, what's going on?" she asked Kori, the nurse staff director as military personnel passed.

"Come here," the dark-skinned woman hissed, pulling her into the break room with haste. "There's been an anthrax attack. They found seventeen victims of the stuff, and they also got a report of twelve more cases in Jacksonville. None have survived."

"Anthrax? What? How?"

"They think it has something to do with the Syndicate. All of the victims were from Bumper's rival gangs. They found heroin in their system, and they think the anthrax was mixed into it."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, you can call it a day though, Chloe. They're shutting down the unit until further notice."

"Okay, thanks."

As Chloe headed back out of the hospital, a hand grabbed her arm and stopped her. She turned around to find Aubrey standing there in her FBI vest.

"Hey," Chloe greeted.

"Hey," Aubrey replied. "Did you hear?"

"Yeah, anthrax."

"Look, Chloe, I need you to be very safe. We don't know where this outbreak came from, but you need to contact Benji and stay in the house as much as possible. It can be airborne, and we wouldn't know it. Do not tell anyone about it, not even Benji. We have to keep it under wraps."

"Okay, are you gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I gotta get back there to see what we can find out about the whereabouts of the outbreak."

"Okay, be safe, Bree."

"You too. I'll be over later to check in."

Chloe rushed out of the hospital then, pulling out her phone. She knew she needed something to help her understand what was going on, to keep her brother safe as well. She had no idea what to do with herself, but she was doing her best not to panic. When she couldn't get ahold of Benji, she only thought of one other person to call and help her make sense of this, and it shook her that she actually had someone like that call. She quickly dialed Beca's number, putting it to her ear as she slid into her car.

"Hello?" Beca's groggy voice answered after a few rings.

"Beca, I need you to meet me right now," Chloe replied with haste.

"Wha-What happened? Are you okay?" She was alert now.

"Just-meet me at the lake in twenty minutes."

She hung up then and started the car.

* * *

Beca stared at her phone a moment after Chloe hung up before sliding out of bed and pulling clothes on. She had only left her guard post at the warehouse a couple of hours ago, and she was exhausted, but Chloe sounded scared or worried about something. She had to make sure the redhead was okay. She rushed out of the house, grabbing car keys and her pistol. She checked outside before exiting. Benji was still fast asleep on the couch, Cynthia Rose and Stacie in the kitchen.

"I'll be back," she yelled over her shoulder. "Stay in the house."

When she reached the lake, Chloe was leaning against her car. Beca slid out of her own car and approached the redhead. Chloe's leg was shaking, and she was biting her lip nervously. Beca stood directly in front of her, watching the redhead closely. At last, Chloe looked up.

"Did you know about this?" she asked.

"About what?" Beca asked, genuinely confused.

"The anthrax. Did you know about it? They said it was Bumper."

Beca sighed. "Chloe, you know I can't answer that."

"Okay, then you need to tell me if I'm safe. Beca, I have a little brother I can't get ahold of, and I'm scared he's out somewhere, and he could be infected, and-"

She then broke into sobs, falling into the brunette's arms. Beca wrapped her up in a hug.

"Chloe, everything's fine," she coaxed softly. "I promise. The stuff is controlled, and no one outside of who it's meant for will be effected by it. I promise you that. I'm sorry, but that's all I can say. You're safe."

"Are you sure, Beca?"

"Chloe, I would have told you if I thought you were in danger. I-I love you."

Chloe's sobs stalled now as she looked up to meet Beca's eyes. Beca gulped audibly, fear in her own navy blue orbs, and she thought that maybe she shouldn't have said the words that had been caught in her throat for so long, but then Chloe offered a small smile.

"I love you too, Beca," she breathed.

"Okay, but I need you to get home, okay? It isn't safe out here, but not because of the drugs. These gangs are at war, and they are killing anyone and everyone in their path. Just keep trying to call your brother, okay? I'm sure he's fine."

"Okay, when can I see you?"

"I'll call you tonight, okay?"

Chloe nodded then, leaning down and pressing a bruising kiss to Beca's lips for as long as she could before running out of air. When they parted, Beca pulled the car door open for her. Chloe slid in and drove away. Beca rushed back to her car, heading to the warehouse now.

* * *

Benji had a choice to make. With the days winding down until the FBI raid of the warehouse, he knew that there was a good chance that Aubrey would be present there. She could be killed, and the blood would be as much on his hands as anyone else's. Chloe would be devastated, and he could not hurt his sister in that way, but the decision could not be made now. His life was on the line as well, and if he slipped up, he would surely be thrown to the wolves along with her.

* * *

Beca pulled Chloe into her arms, their nude bodies wrapped up in the sheets of the hotel bed. Beca ran a hand through her fiery tresses, the redhead's breathing tingling on her chest. Chloe had so many questions, but she had just been glad that Beca had agreed to meet her. She had not been to work since she had been sent home three days ago, and the hospital had not been able to cure any of the anthrax victims. To be in bed with a killer should have scared the hell out of Chloe, but it didn't. This was _her _Beca, and she loved her with every fiber of her being. She needed her, and she could not imagine living without her, not now. It was too late.

"Don't leave me," she breathed suddenly.

"Why would I do that?" Beca asked.

"You could-go to jail, or get killed."

"I'll be fine, Red. Don't worry about me."

"Beca, you don't understand how much this scares me."

"No, I do. You're supposed to hate me, Chloe. You're supposed to blame me for the patients you work with every day. You should have thrown me in a cell yourself."

"But I couldn't because you took my heart then my mind. I love you."

"I love you too, and I promise you that one day, this will all make sense."

"And I trust you."

Chloe tilted her head up, her lips meeting Beca's in a soft kiss. Beca ran her tongue over the redhead's bottom lip, Chloe instantly granting access as her hands became tangled in chocolate locks. It was in these moments that Beca felt safe, free of stress and important decisions. She could lose herself in the woman beside her. The world would fall away, and she could be everything that Chloe needed in those moments. Love. She had refused to believe it existed, but she had no idea how else to describe what Chloe did to her, what effect she had on the captain. She needed to protect her because Chloe had taken the top priority slot above the SWAT team _and_ the Syndicate. This was who she was. She was Chloe's. That was all that mattered.

* * *

"Posen!" Gail called as Aubrey entered the precinct. "Come here please."

Aubrey immediately rushed forth, meeting the director, and Gail led her down the halls to one of the interrogation rooms. They walked in, Denise sitting at a table there looking at her laptop. Through the two-way mirror, she could see agent Hollis sitting across from another man. The man had shaggy, brown hair and a trimmed goattee. His bright green eyes flashed with rage as Hollis talked to him. He was cooperating just fine, and Gail had Aubrey go in.

"What's going on?" Aubrey asked Hollis now.

"This is Garrett," Hollis introduced, gesturing to the man. "He is one of Bumper's elite."

Aubrey nearly gasped when she looked down to see the four diamonds across the dagger hilt on his wrist. She never expected to see one, much less in the precinct.

"How did we find him?" Aubrey inquired now, intrigued.

"We picked him up near the high school," Hollis returned. "Now, if he wants to see the sun again, he'll give us something. You know something about the anthrax, don't you?"

"No," Garrett shook his head. "That stuff isn't handled by us. Bumper has some terrorist motherfuckers working on that. They bring it from out of the country."

"The middle eastern connect he had?" Aubrey asked, eyebrow raised.

"I guess. I don't know. He kept that under wraps from all of us. Only him and a few guys know about it because he didn't want to risk something like this happening."

"So what do you have for us, Garrett?"

"I-I don't-"

"Come on, Garrett. That tattoo alone traces you to the murder of Unit Chief Caine. You could get the death penalty for killing a federal agent."

"I didn't kill any federal agent."

"We have a witness that says otherwise with one look at those four diamonds."

Garrett sighed. "All I can give you is the warehouse they have the shipments at."

"I've heard that before, and I've been burned before."

"I can swear to you." He now pulled out his phone, tossing it across the tables. "I have texts in there from the big guys scheduling everything from untraceable numbers and e-mails. You guys checked warehouses under names in the Syndicate. This one? Well, this one is registered as a training facility of the sheriff's department."

"What?"

"Yeah, that's what they have, and it isn't far from here. The shipment comes in Friday night. Now, they usually never stay in there once it's stocked. It looks abandoned without cars, but what I can also tell you and those texts can confirm is that Bumper is meeting there with his connect, the guy from the middle east. He's handing over that shipment the same night to lace it, and it'll be the only time he's ever in that warehouse himself."

"And you're sure about this?"

"I put that on the grave of my deceased father."

"What time is this going down?"

"I was supposed to do the shipment, and we were to make the drop at the warehouse by midnight. That's when his connect comes in. It's in there."

Aubrey stepped closer to him now. "If you're wrong about this, I will cut your balls off and feed them to you, do you understand?"  
He gulped audible but gave a slow nod. "Yeah."

"Okay, take him in."

Hollis nodded and took him, leading him out to his car to take him to the local jail, handcuffs slapped on his wrists. When they were a safe distance away, Hollis tossed the key over Garrett. Garrett unlocked the cuffs before pulling a wad of cash from his pocket.

"Good work, agent," Garrett smirked.

"It's much too easy," Hollis replied with a sly grin. "Where do I drop you off at?"

"Manchester. I need to let them know it's a go. Two days."

"Two days."

Hollis handed Garrett his pistol as they turned onto the street then he made a scene of swerving all over the road as shots hit the windshield and roof. They had to make it look as if Garrett had escaped. He shot Hollis in the arm, just a knick really before jumping out of the car and rushing off down Manchester Lane. Yes, the FBI was smart, but Bumper and his team were much smarter.

* * *

Beca had given Evans the warehouse address as well as the location of the labs, but Evans had been pinned. FBI was taking no communication or information from the sheriff's department, and Evans was busy trying to protect Beca. If he passed information to the mole-infested bureau, they would know he had retrieved it from someone undercover, and someone with two faces would know it was Beca. She met him out in the grove Friday night alone, and they stood facing each other. Even Beca took the cigarette he offered her, her nerves in overdrive.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked.

"We have to let it happen," he huffed. "What else can we do? That information will get you killed, Beca, and I can't let that happen."

"They'll never catch Bumper, Evans. He has this middle eastern guy pretty much running shit with me. He's clean. I'm asking you for the green light."

"What do you think will happen if we take him out, Beca?"

"I'll cross that bridge when I get there. I'll give you all of the names I have, but he has to come down, and so does Donald. Donald is running the anthrax project. Taking him down might stall it. While I do that, you send the military into those labs, and you shut them down. They haven't spread to any other places yet, but if we let them continue this, we're done for. They're going after the SWAT team and sheriff's department next and soon, DEA. We'll never make it to see Christmas."

"Beca, why? Why are you so intent on killing anyone?"

Beca's eyes flashed with rage now as they met his. "Evans," she growled. "This department, this _job _has taken everything from me. What else do you expect me to do? Wait around until the FBI comes and kills us off again? You know what I found out the other day? That fuckin' bitch that's been snooping around from the bureau is the same bitch that killed Jesse, and you guys knew, didn't you!"

The commander's eyes bulged. "Beca, I-"

"No, don't! You guys hid it from me!"

"What did you expect us to do? You're being blinded by revenge, Becs, and it's going to tear us all apart. It's going to get you killed. What good would telling you have been? Would you have killed her even in uniform?"

"I don't know, but you should have told me! She's looked me in my fuckin' eyes, Evans! I've been face to face with her."

"Then I'm glad we didn't tell you! Beca, remember who you are!"

"You know who I am? I am the twin sister of Jesse Swanson, the man who gave his life for this fuckin' department just so his killer could go free and keep working for this! Who am I? I'm straighter than any fuck in the bureau! What's the point of working for a law force that has pretty much bent over and handed their asses to this drug game! Where's the honor in being a fuckin' officer anymore? Everyone's in this game, and you know what? There's no getting out, so I might as well avenge my brother while we're at it because we all fall in the end."

"Beca, don't-"

She trudged away, jumping in her truck and peeling out of the clearing before he could say anymore. He huffed, throwing his cigarette and roaring in frustration and agony. He heard movement from behind him, and he turned slowly to face Stacie. She had been hidden in the next clearing over, her jeep parked there. She now made herself visible to the commander.

"What do I do?" the man breathed, tears stinging his eyes. "I've lost her."

"I'll be there, Evans," Stacie replied, a hand on his arms. "She's my best friend, and I'll die before I let them have her."

"That's what I'm afraid of. I'm afraid that she doesn't differentiate between friend or foe anymore, Stacie. She could kill you if you get in her way, and then what?"

"Look, I just need you to have Luke, Amy and Lily watching those labs and that warehouse. I'll handle Beca. The only thing I can do is put the leash on her now. We just-we have to get out, Evans. We don't have much time."

"Okay, if it comes to that, take Bumper out. I just- I need you to bring her back."

"I will."

* * *

Beca was furious. How was she expected to do her job and protect crooked agents that were able to kill an officer and go right back to their normal lives? It made no sense to her, and it damn sure wasn't fair. Her brother had spent almost a year undercover working hard to bring down Bumper's organization, and he had been killed by a sloppy agent who thought she knew everything. That bitch would pay. In Beca's mind, she was the enemy. The force was the enemy. Why should she protect them? The Syndicate members feared her, respected her, welcomed her, had her back. Why should she return to a life of crooked cops and faulty information? She could run half of the largest syndicate in the world. She had already become a billionaire in a matter of months, money she was supposed to put in a government account. She had put some, but most of it went to an offshore account only she had access to. She had also put Chloe's name, Stacie's name, and Benji's name on it in the event something happened to her, left in a will in her dresser. She didn't have to go back. She could continue this life, maybe even take out Bumper anyway and keep the entire organization to herself. Cal would follow her, and so would Uni. She knew she could do it. She could run the world, and no one would be able to stop her. Yeah, that's what she could do, and before that, she would avenge her brother.

* * *

Friday descended upon Barden as Aubrey and her unit geared up for the raid they were to execute tonight. The warehouse was readied by Bumper's goons that afternoon, the vents caked in a thick layer of the chemical that would wipe out any agent that walked inside. Beca had been guarding it from the roof all day, and she vacated the premises when they entered to rig it. She knew that the blonde agent would probably come, and she would make sure of it. If she didn't, Beca would be after her, and she would kill the woman herself. One way or another, the agent was going to die.

On the other side of town, Benji sat in the living room of Beca's home alone with his phone grasped tightly in his hand, Aubrey's number on the screen as his thumb hovered over the call button. He had an hour to make a decision. He couldn't just tell her what was going on. He could get himself as well as Beca and her team killed in an instant, but he couldn't just let Aubrey die when he had the power to save her. With ten minutes to spare, he hit the "call" button, pulling on his jacket and vacating the house. She answered after only two rings.

"Posen," she said in her professional tone.

"Bree," he breathed softly, tears in his eyes.

Her tone changed immediately into that of concern. "Benji? What's wrong?"

"Bree, I need you now. Please, I need you."

"Benji, I'm in the middle of-"

"Bree, I need you. You have to come. Alone. Please!"

Aubrey had an internal war for a few seconds before sighing deeply. "Where are you?"

"I'm on the corner of Aberdeen and Avery. Please come fast."

"Okay, stay where you are. I'll be right there."

Aubrey hung up the phone quickly, turning to Agent Gillis, the other agent running the raid with her. He gave her a weird look.

"I'll meet you at the warehouse," she informed him. "I have to go handle something. Family emergency."

"No worries," Gillis assured her. "I'll let the team know."

She nodded, patting his shoulder before rushing out of the building to her car. He had seen the worry in her eyes. She was very worried. Benji had sounded so scared, so vulnerable, and she knew there was something wrong. She refrained from calling Chloe for now. She had to find Benji. He had called her, and that meant that this was no joke. Something was severely wrong, and she knew she had to be a sister to him now and not just an agent. The love she had for the young boy showed through now, and she just wanted him to be okay. She _needed_ him to be okay for the sake of her as well as her best friend. If something happened to him, she would never be able to live with herself. She had enough blood on her hands, and she couldn't handle anymore.

* * *

Benji sat at the corner of the street, and when the emerald green Civic pulled up, he dropped his head, sighing in relief. Aubrey jumped off of the car as the boy began sobbing, and she ran to him, dropping to her knees before him.

"Benji," she breathed. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I-I can't tell you, but I needed you to come," he managed.

"Benji, I can't help you if you don't talk to me."

"I-I can't. Just trust me, Aubrey. I saved your life too."

"What are you talking about? Benji, what-"

"Please, Aubrey, please! I need you to trust me! If I say anymore, I will get us all killed! I fucked up, and I know I did, but you have to trust me please! Please trust me, Bree, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, but I had to get you here! I had to!"

* * *

Uni, Cal and three other men were to meet at the warehouse to watch the plan unfold. Bumper was at his lair awaiting the update, Beca and her team manning their main warehouse. Kolio drove the SUV down the street towards the trap they had set for the FBI.

"This is gonna be fun," Cal chuckled, a manic grin on his face. "I can't wait."

"Those pigs won't know what hit them," Garrett laughed from the back seat. "They're too easy."

"It's that ego. They're so full of themselves that they're blinded."

"Man, Garrett, you really had them, huh?" Uni said.

"You can thank Agent Hollis," he replied. "I bet that blonde bitch goes in first, and I wanna watch the life fade from her eyes."

"Yeah, it's gonna be well worth the wait."

As they drove, Uni looked out the window, the car thick with anxiety. It would be the plan to start off the greatest war against every law enforcement agency in the country. Donald's middle eastern brothers and Bumper had enough artillery to take on the whole of the American military, and Bumper would have America at his feet, everyone addicted to his product. His team would be living comfortably, the highest of his ranks relaxing in a lavish mansion on an island somewhere soon. The man was smart, coming up with a doctorate's degree from Berkeley in chemistry and a master's in business. He was surely capable of running an entire country, and the syndicate would be feared by all. No one would be able to stop them.

As the car moved down Avery Drive, Uni caught sight of an odd scene. There were two people sitting on the curb, and he recognized them both easily. He quickly gestured to them, all eyes in the car moving over to the two on the street.

"That's that agent, huh?" Cal asked.

"And isn't that the kid from B's team?" Kolio asked.

"Yeah," Uni replied. "Benji. What the fuck?"

"He has ties to the bureau?"

"It looks like he saved her from the raid. Bumper won't be to happy."

Cal snorted. "B won't be too happy. Well, she won't feel too bad either. She wanted that bitch for herself, but how does Benji know her?"

"They look pretty close."

"Uni, call Bumper."

Uni did so, pulling out his phone and quickly dialing the kingpin's number.

"Uni," the playful voice answered after a few rings. "How goes it?"

"Hey, Bumper, I think we have a rat on our hands," Uni replied.

Bumper was instantly serious. "What is it?"

"That blonde agent? Benji, the kid from Beca's team, is over here hugged up with her."

"Where's Beca?"

"She's at the warehouse."

"Are you sure it's them?"

"Yeah, I think he stopped her from going to the raid."

Bumper sighed. "Okay, get down to the warehouse. When we finish this, we'll take care of her. We're gonna bring her in, and I'll make sure they both die, and we'll let B do the honors just to make sure she's not aware of it."

"Okay, deal."

* * *

Benji stood up quickly when he saw the SUV pass, slowing down in front of them. He was in a panic, his eyes bulging.

"Benji, what is it?" Aubrey asked, standing up too.

"We have to go," he breathed.

"What? Why? Who was that?"

"Aubrey, you have to go. Watch out for Chloe. Don't tell her you saw me."

"Benji, no. Just come with me. We'll-"

"Aubrey, I can't protect you unless you do as I say! You can't help me from this! You have to go! Please! I told you to trust me!"

"Benji, I can't-"

"Bree, go!"

Aubrey stepped towards him just as her phone began ringing.

"Don't go yet," she told Benji as she saw Gail's name on the screen, answering it. "Posen."

"Posen, where are you?" the lady asked, irritation and haste in her tone.

"I-I had a family emergency. I'm on the way to the warehouse."

"Don't go down there! You come in now."

"What? Why?"

"It was a trap! Forty agents went in there, and they were hit with anthrax! They've all been quarantined, but they have definitely been infected. They're dying fast."

Aubrey could not possibly process what was going on, the words Gail was saying sounding like a foreign language to her. She couldn't comprehend it. She didn't want to. She was terrified to ask again, but she could not help it

"Wh-what?"

"IT WAS A SETUP! THE AGENTS HAVE BEEN MURDERED!"

Aubrey gulped down a large lump, tears in her eyes as Benji turned and darted down the street into the night.


	9. Where Our Worlds Collide

**_A/N: So how is everyone liking it? This story is just flowing out of my head now nonstop, so that explains the super fast updates if that's okay with you guys. I had writer's block on it for awhile, but it came to me earlier, so I've been writing it nonstop. I hope that you all enjoy it as much as I do, and I promise it gets better. I already have the rest of the plot lined out. the only thing left to do is get it on paper. So here we go! Try not to get too worked up over this chapter. *wink*_**

Beca was somehow both relieved and agitated to find that the blonde agent had not entered the warehouse during the raid, but the forty agents that had entered had died within two hours of entry. The block was now barricaded, no one left in or out. The neighborhoods surrounding it had been evacuated, told that there was a situation on the block that needed to be tended to before the houses were deemed safe again. It was Cal that came to tell her of this, and he could see the anger in her eyes.

"Don't worry, B," he said with a smirk before she left. "You'll have a shot at her."

"Oh, you better believe that," Beca growled. "I'll find her sooner or later, and I won't stop 'til I do."

Beca needed release after such a long night. She needed to relax and forget about the start of a war so large that it would shake the heavens with its devastation. She needed to clear her head and cleanse herself of the evil inside of it. She met Chloe at the hotel as always, the redhead relieved to have spoken to her brother and find that he was alive as well as see Beca. Beca walked up to the room and knocked softly. Chloe threw the door open seconds later, jumping into her arms and kissing her lips hard as her legs wrapped around the brunette's waist.

"Hey, Red," she smirked, breathing in the sweet smell of peaches on her girl.

"I missed you," she breathed into the brunette's neck. "I was worried."

"I told you not to worry. I'm fine."

"It's a habit."

"Well, I'm here now. No worries."

Beca closed the door to the room, carrying Chloe over to the bed and laying her down. She removed her jacket and boots, dropping her duffle bag at the foot of the bed. Chloe was clad in a black see-through nightgown, and Beca could not deny that her beauty was breathtaking. Her mind was filled instantly with only thoughts of the woman before her. She peeled off her plaid button-up before crawling into bed next to the woman, kissing her jawline softly as her hand roamed Chloe's curves. Chloe already knew. After nights on the job, Beca returned to her hungry, eyes raging with desire. Beca wasted no time as her hand slid up Chloe's thigh beneath the gown, eliciting a soft gasp from the redhead as she tangled her fingers in brunette locks. Their lips met, tongues battling for dominance as Beca just about ripped her underwear off. Chloe yanked the tanktop off of the smaller woman's body, kicking down the brunette's jeans after unbuttoning them. She could see the thirst in the deep blue orbs above her, and she threw her hands back over her head, egging the brunette on to take control. Beca pushed up the gown now, massaging Chloe's breasts roughly as she trailed kisses down to her center. Chloe let out a strangled scream, her hand tightening around the chocolate tresses. Beca made her way back up, sliding two fingers into slick folds and thrusting roughly. Chloe pulled her closer, trying to hold onto her with nails digging into her back. Beca bit down on her neck, and she moaned aloud. Her hips bucked upwards, meeting each stroke, panting hard. She couldn't speak. Her mind was blurred with pleasure. She eventually was able to slide a hand between them, entering the woman atop her to elicit a throaty grunt from the smaller woman. The masculine sound of acceptance nearly sent the redhead over the edge. The sound was that of intense pleasure, and her entries became quicker, Beca's keeping her pace. Soon, they were racing to their peaks, arching into each other with each stroke. Chloe pulled Beca down with her free hand, their lips colliding before Beca slid her tongue into the redhead's mouth, catching deep breaths and throaty moans with her own. With a few more thrusts, they flew off of the edge together, gasping and moaning into one another's mouths. Chloe gripped Beca's hair once more as she arched her back high off of the bed. Beca could feel Chloe's walls tighten around her fingers as her body convulsed before relaxing. They collapsed onto the bed, kisses soft and full of unspoken gratitude. Beca then rested her head on Chloe's chest as their breathing evened out. She stroked the back of Beca's neck softly.

"When?" she asked after a long silence.

"What?" Beca asked, eyes closed.

"When will this be over?"

Beca tensed for only a moment. "Soon. Very soon."

"Promise you're coming home to me."

Time seemed to freeze in Beca's mind, and everything came rushing back. The decision she had to make, the plan she had, the idea she pondered on so many occasions. If she continued this life of crime, she could never be with Chloe truly. The redhead would always be in danger, a liability to Beca. If anyone wanted to hurt Beca, they would go after her most prized possession, Chloe. She couldn't imagine that happening. If she loved Chloe as much as she was sure she did, there was no way she could allow herself to stay in the darkness she had succumbed to. She could not embrace the life she was thrown into, not forever. It was a choice she had to make, and Chloe was a vital piece to that decision. Yet, Beca could not imagine a life without the redhead in it. That was impossible to her. Her heart ached when she wasn't with Chloe, and that made her insane with bloodlust and rage until she was back in her girl's arms. She could not do that, and she knew that. Maybe she didn't have to return to the force, but she did have to leave the syndicate, leave the darkness behind to truly be whole, be happy.

"I promise," Beca sighed at last. "I promise."

* * *

To see forty caskets laid out across the chapel during three days was overwhelming. Aubrey had been puking all day, the tears uncontrollable in her eyes. Was this what Benji meant by saving her life? Had the boy known about what lie in wait for the raid parade. He had to know. Why else would he have called her? He had to be involved in it. That's what his entire cryptic spiel came down to, and now she was in danger as well as Benji. She had seen the look of terror in the boy's eyes when the SUV had passed them on the street, and she knew that it was nothing good. She had not been able to get ahold of him, and when she nonchalantly asked Chloe if they had spoken, the redhead had told her that everything was fine. He was well. When she told Chloe about the raid, the redhead had broken down, hugging the blonde tightly and thanking the Heavens that she was okay. It was Saturday when she told her, but Chloe also had this look of pain and internal war in her eyes that Aubrey could not decipher. It were almost as if she wanted to say something, but she could not. Aubrey had been much too emotionally exhausted to ask however, and she let it be, hoping that her best friend was okay.

As Aubrey vacated the chapel on the third day of service for her fallen comrades that had been taken by the syndicate, in need of some air, Gail stepped out with her. The taller blonde turned to Aubrey with a look of sympathy in her eyes.

"You're lucky, Posen," she said softly. "You weren't in there."

"But my comrades were," Aubrey choked, tears stinging her eyes.

"That only ups the stakes. This is on you to close it out now. What happened anyway? Where did you go? I just have to ask because there's speculation that you were in on it."

Aubrey scoffed. "My little brother, well, my best friend's little brother whom I've known most of his life, called me. He needed me. He's been hanging with the wrong crowd, and I hadn't heard from him, but he was okay. I was leaving him when you called."

"Look, Posen, I don't know what more we can do, but we have to do something. More people, more agents and officers, are going to die if we don't handle this. You need to give me something. I'm stretching it now. We have very little manpower on our hands."

"I know, and I swear that I won't rest until I find something."

"If we don't come up fast, the government is gonna have us for breakfast, and they'll send in the big dogs from Quanico. We'll lose our division."

"Understood."

* * *

They had not told Beca about Benji's encounter with the FBI agent, and Benji had not told her either. Benji knew he could have picked a better place to meet Aubrey than an open street, but he had not been able to think straight with all of the fear and anxiety clouding his mind. Uni and Cal had been directed by Bumper to keep it to themselves until they picked up the agent. Then Beca would have her chance to prove herself again as well as Benji. It was a sadistic idea, but they expected no less from Bumper Allen. He wanted to see the young boy pull the trigger, and Benji would be gambling with his own life. If he didn't pull the trigger, Beca would have to. Then she would have to kill Benji as well. It was a simple plan, and Uni and a few other men had already been given the job of tailing the agent. Beca was oblivious, but Cal had seen the look of hunger in her eyes when talking about the blonde. He didn't doubt her for one second. He wanted to be there for the show more than anything.

The death toll in Barden had jumped into triple digits over the weekend, the press getting a leak about the anthrax attack on federal agents. Meanwhile, the Crowned Kings were coming at the syndicate with help from Greg's soldiers, and Barden had become a war zone. People were evacuating the city, and if you weren't law enforcement, medical personnel, or syndicate affiliated, you left town as quickly as possible. The city was being destroyed piece by piece, and the bureau was about to throw the towel in. Gail, Aubrey and Denise were three of very few agents that hadn't given up hope. The sheriff's department was running around like chickens with their heads cut off, dreading what would happen next. No one went anywhere or did anything. It was much too dangerous. With anthrax in town, any move could be costly, and no one was willing to take that chance. Commander Evans was having a field day, trying to find a way to close up the case as quickly as possible, and he no longer tried to stop Beca from taking out Bumper. What other choice did they have? Vice Commander Jones was at the end of his rope, and he had no idea where to turn to either. Luke, Amy and Lily sat in their offices after searching for Bumper for forty-eight sleepless hours, and all they could do was worry about Beca. Evans had informed them of her breakdown, her outburst and her threat to take out a federal agent out of revenge. Luke had been enraged that they had not told her, that the agent that had killed Jesse was still roaming free. It killed him. He and Jesse had been close, and the man deserved justice. He had given his life to the law. The least that the law could do was avenge him. Luke now just wanted his friends back, his captain back, and it didn't look like it would happen anytime soon. It scared him to no end, but he tried to keep it together for the department's sake. Evans sure as hell wasn't.

As Beca manned the warehouse as usual, she watched shipments moving in and out of the warehouse. She had only had a few hours of sleep between guarding the anthrax labs and watching over shipments at the warehouse. Benji was out at lunch with his sister, so it was only Stacie and CR with her at the moment. Bumper's next plan seemed to have something to do with the Barden Air Force Base, and Beca wasn't all too sure how that would work, but she didn't question the psychopathic leader. She just sat back and did her job, weary of everything that was going on at once. She texted Chloe here and there, but she didn't have much energy to do anything. It had been almost a week since the FBI raid, and the entire city was falling apart. In fact, it was almost empty, but that didn't slow business at all. With the Crowned Kings and Greg slacking on distribution, Bumper had taken control of the drug trade in the whole of the eastern United States. He had boys making runs all across Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and more. The money was flowing in like a dam had broken, and Beca's pockets were running pretty deep, but she couldn't care much.

Beca was at last cleared to go home with her team at midnight, and she confirmed that Benji was already at the house. Stacie drove them back to their neighborhood, Beca yawning the entire way.

"How are you feeling, B?" Stacie asked.

"Exhausted," the smaller woman replied. "I need some real fucking sleep."

"We'll get you some in just a bit. Are you okay other than that?"

"If you're writing out a welfare check report for Evans, forget about it."

"Becs, I'm your best friend. I wanna know you're okay."

"I will be when I see some fuckin' justice for my brother. Before then, I need some sleep."

Stacie said no more, but the tension descending in the vehicle was palpable. CR and the taller brunette were deeply worried about their captain. They could see her slipping further and further into character with each day, drowning in a chasm they feared they could not rescue her from. They may not make it out with Beca, with _their _Beca, and it terrified them to no end. All Stacie wanted was her best friend back, and she only hoped that there was still hope behind those dark eyes that she could grasp onto.

Beca had been asleep all of forty-five minutes when her phone rang. She ignored it the first time, but the caller was persistent. After the fourth call, Beca jolted up in bed, roaring in frustration as she swiped the phone from the nightstand. It was Cal. She answered the call and put it to her ear.

"This better be fuckin' important," she growled.

"B, we have pirates down at the warehouse," he reported hastily. "Crowned Kings, and they're looking to start this place on fire. They're coming in shooting."

Beca sighed. "I'll be right there."

Stacie, CR and Benji were already at the door after hearing her yell, and she looked up at them as she pulled pants on. She jerked her head as if to say "come on", and they understood, hurrying off to get ready. She pulled two assault rifles from her closet once she was dressed, pulling on her hoodie and a beanie. She loaded them up before tucking her pistol in the back of her jeans. She rushed to the living room. Her team was already waiting, and they headed out to the car. Stacie sped down the foggy streets, rain pouring down on them. Beca was tired and agitated, and she could not wait to take it out on the Crowned Kings idiots that thought they could take over one of Bumper's main warehouses on her turf. The beast flickered in her eyes, and no one asked any questions. They could see the commotion in front of the warehouse as they drove up.

"Park around the back alley," Beca told Stacie.

The taller brunette did so quickly, pulling into the alley lining the warehouse's back wall. Beca stepped out, ushering them through the back door of the warehouse. Stacie took one of the assault rifles from her before she rushed around the side of the building. She could see the various men with yellow bandanas around their faces, soaked through with rain but indicating their allegiance to the Crowned Kings. She stepped closer before opening fire on the dozens of men shooting at the front door. They were taken off guard, falling to the ground two by two. When she had taken out all that she could see, she rushed back to the door and headed inside. Cal, several of his boys, and her team were pinned down in the large room behind the half wall that acted as a partition to the two areas. She ducked down beside Cal. The Crowned Kings were flooding through the door now, and she stood up to shoot back. Cal followed as well as Stacie, and they pushed the enemy backwards, cutting them down with a flurry of bullets. One threw a bottle filled with gasoline into the room, a gasoline-soaked rag lit and stuffed into it. As it hit the ground and shattered, the flames came to life.

"Out the back!" Beca yelled. "We'll catch them out front!"

They followed her outside and down the side of the building. They could see Crowned Kings by the dozens up front. She turned to Cal.

"Where's Uni?"

"He's out on a mission. Everyone is. We're shorthanded tonight."

Beca began unloading on them, stalking forward slowly as they fell before her. They were being swallowed by the firepower, and Beca was sure her team would be able to handle it. Meanwhile, downtown somewhere, Uni and Garrett were right on the blonde agent's tail, and they planned on bagging her that night. They just needed a good opening, and they would have her. She was tired and disoriented, and they knew she wouldn't put up much of a fight. One rag to her mouth, and she would be out long enough for them to take her to Bumper. He wouldn't be back until the following night, but they would have her waiting. Beca wasn't aware of this, but she didn't bother asking details about Uni's mission as she was trying to stay alive. She was weary, and the rain and exhaustion blurred her vision, but she continued shooting. She ducked behind an SUV to reload at one point, and a Crowned King stepped out from behind it. She jumped up shooting, but he was able to get off two rounds before he slumped over dead. One of the bullets pierced her chest, throwing her back on the ground.

"Fuck!" Stacie roared, rushing to the brunette's side with Benji and CR. "B, are you okay? B?"

Beca's hand clutched her chest as blood came gushing out. It was a precise hit, and soon, Beca was coughing up blood as well.

"You have to get her out of here!" Cal yelled. "I've got reinforcements coming!"

"We can't take her to a hospital!" Stacie yelled over the gunfire and thunder as she picked Beca up and carried her to the car quickly.

"What can we do?" CR asked.

"I don't know, but if they see her tattoo, they won't let her leave."

"Uh, I know!" Benji said quickly. "My sister's a doctor! We'll go to her!"

"Okay, Stacie, you drive. Benji, sit up front. I'll keep pressure on the wound."

CR slid into the backseat, cradling Beca's head and tearing off her sweater to press it to Beca's chest. The brunette was quickly losing consciousness, and CR patted her cheeks.

"Beca, you gotta stay with me, okay?" she coaxed softly. "Come on, B. Stay with me please."

Benji swiftly pulled out his phone, dialing his sister's number with haste. The redhead answered after just a few rings.

"Benji?" came her sleepy voice.

"Chlo, are you home?" he asked shakily.

"Yeah, what's wrong?"

"Is Aubrey there?"

"No, why? Benji, what's-"

"Look, Chloe, I'll explain everything later, but I have a friend that needs your help. We're coming over. Can you treat a bullet wound?"

"What! Benji, what-"

"Chloe, answer me! There's no time."

"Yeah, yeah, I can."

"Okay, I'll see you in ten minutes."

Benji hung up before directing Stacie towards his sister's house. This was life or death now, and he knew that he would have to come clean with his sister, but he would do anything to save Beca's life. She was his sister too, and he loved her. He couldn't just let her die.

* * *

Aubrey at last left the precinct. It had been a long night, longer than most with all of the paperwork about the failed raid and her whereabouts. She knew that Chloe was home, and she couldn't wait to get back to the apartment. She hadn't slept in days, and some good rest was what she needed at that very moment. She stopped for coffee and some dinner on the way home, something to get her through the half-hour drive up to the better part of town. She walked into the diner and ordered before sitting down in the booth. When her order came, she ate quickly then chugged down her coffee, anxious to get home to her bed. After leaving a tip and paying the bill, she walked out to her car. She opened her door, sliding in slowly and bringing the engine to life. Before she could put it in reverse and pull out however, her head was yanked back, a damp towel pressed to her mouth. In the rearview mirror, she could make out bright hazel green eyes before her vision blurred then went completely black.

When the agent had stopped at a local diner, Uni had been able to slip into her backseat, waiting on the blonde to return. When she did so half an hour later, he had knocked her out with the traditional damp cloth, and his two comrades came to drag her off. They tied her up, throwing her in the back of their Suburban before heading to Bumper's lair, a cabin deep in the woods nowadays. Uni and Garrett grinned devilishly, and they could not wait until Bumper showed up the next night.

"Let the games begin," Uni chuckled as they climbed the mountain trail.

"This is gonna be like Christmas all over again," Garrett returned.

"Yeah, B's gonna have fun with this."

Suddenly, Uni's cell phone went off. It was Cal.

"Yeah," Uni answered.

"The warehouse fuckin' caught fire!" Cal roared.

"What! How?"

"Fuckin' Crowned Kings. They came in firing. We got it down kinda, but it scorched some of the product, and B got hit."

"B got hit?" Garrett looked over now. "What the fuck? Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she came down with reinforcements, and they hit her in the chest. It didn't look too good, but I don't know. They took her to get checked out."

"At the hospital?"

"No, I think some doctor friend or some shit. I don't know."

"So you don't know if she's okay?"

"Naw, call Stacie in a little while. Did you guys pick up the package?"

"Yup, we're delivering it now. Donald's up here, right?"

"Yup, he's waiting on you. Drop it off then get down here and help us clean shit up."

"Okay, we'll be down there. Cops show up?"

"Yeah, but they got served too. We're moving everything out as we speak. Meet us at Trenton."

"Okay, we'll see you soon then."

Uni hung up, and Garrett looked at him.

"What the fuck happened?" he asked.

"B got hit," Uni repeated. "Crowned Kings. Started the warehouse on fire. B went down there to help Cal because he was solo, and they hit her. They took her to get checked out."

"Damn, that's some fucked up shit."

"Hey, we're her team. We get done here, and we're going hunting."

"I like the sound of that. They won't get away with that shit."

* * *

Chloe set out all of the supplies she had on hand in the apartment on the coffee table in the living room. She moved the couches around to make more floor room before laying down some sheets. She had everything she could possibly use as her anxiety began to overtake her. She didn't know what to think when her little brother called, sounding scared as all hell, and asked her if she could treat a bullet wound. Somehow, she already knew why he was asking. He was in fact involved in something that she had never wanted to believe in. Then she met Beca, and she knew that the signs of a criminal weren't as blunt and obvious as she originally believed. She was scared, but she couldn't judge her brother now when she had fallen in love with one of them. She only wanted him to be safe. She needed him to be safe the same way she needed Aubrey and Beca to be safe although none of them could know about each other.

* * *

Stacie sped through the Barden streets towards the north end. Beca was choking up blood, and Cynthia Rose rolled her onto her side to prevent her from choking. The team was in a panic, but Stacie could not call Evans with Benji in the car. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Rain smashed down on the city mercilessly, but Stacie refused to slow down. As the life faded from their captain's eyes, her team began losing hope, fear constricting their chests gradually. They couldn't lose her. There was no way they could lose her. She was pale more and more by the second, and blood continued to seep through the cloth pressed to the wound. They knew she was fighting though as she struggled to keep her eyes open, and they were grateful for that. She pushed forward through the fog in her mind to stay awake.

"CR," she croaked at one point.

"I'm right here, B," CR replied softly.

"You-you take care of Benji, alright?"

"We will, B, we all will. You're not leaving us."

"There's a letter-in my drawer for him-and-my girl-and you guys. T-take it. You'll be-taken care of. I-promise that."

"B, don't talk like that. You're gonna make it just fine."

"We're here!" Benji exclaimed then as they pulled into the complex.

CR and Stacie quickly threw Beca's arms over their shoulders and followed Benji through the complex carefully and quietly. Beca's eyes were shutting now, and they quickened their pace. They at last reached a door, and Benji banged on it. It flew open in seconds to reveal a tall redhead, and they rushed inside.

"Chloe," Benji breathed. "Please. She needs help. She's dying."

The redhead nodded and gestured to the sheets on the floor, and they laid the small captain down on it as the doctor began grabbing her tools.

"Tear her shirt open," she directed, and CR did so as Stacie bent over her best friend's face, talking against her cheek. Chloe kneeled beside the patient, inspecting the wound. She first took the tweezers, digging around for the bullet without even looking up at the face of her patient. She extracted the bullet quickly before dropping antiseptic onto the wound.

"Please stay with me, B," Stacie muttered, tears filling her eyes. "Please stay with me."

Chloe continued cleaning the wound. She then cauterized it, the smell of burning flesh filling the room as she held the white-hot spoon to it. Stacie cringed as CR hissed.

"She's lost a lot of blood," Chloe said. "I have pulse, but it's very faint."

"What can we do?" CR asked.

"Do you guys know what blood type she is?" Chloe asked.

"B positive," Stacie instantly returned. "Like me."

"Would you be willing to give her some blood?"

"Anything."

Chloe immediately jumped up, preparing a makeshift blood transfer machine. She had built one in college for the hell of it once, but she had never tested it. This was dangerous, unsterile, risky and everything else that she could possibly imagine it to be, but it was their only hope with what she had on hand.

"Okay, Benji and you," Chloe said, pointing to CR as she pulled on a fresh pair of latex gloves. "I can't believe I'm suggesting this, but there's a blood bank down the street. I need you to go there and _acquire _a few containers of the correct blood any way that you possibly can. If you can find an IV line or anything like that, bring me whatever you can. They vacated the place a week or so ago when the chaos started in the neighborhood, so you should be good. She will only be able to give the patient so much blood. Blood donor, I need you to rub some iodine on your arm over your vein and lay on the couch. I'll be right back."

Chloe hustled to the kitchen as Benji and Cynthia Rose darted out of the apartment. Stacie stood up, shedding her jacket and rubbing her arm with the cotton ball and yellow liquid Chloe had pointed to. Something sounded awfully familiar about the name, but Stacie's mind was much too clouded to think about it. She did as she was told, and before she lay on the couch, she bent down and kissed Beca's forehead.

"We're gonna get through this, B," she whispered. "I promise you that."

Chloe rummaged through the drawers in the kitchen to find the last few things she would need. She then began fusing together the tubes and needles she had from a training she had attended a few weeks ago. She then rushed back into the living room, but as she took in the scene there and at last saw the face of the patient she was working on, the items fell from her hand as she let out a deep gasp. Tears began stinging her eyes, and she could not believe what she was seeing. She knew this woman. No, she more than knew her. It was _her _woman...


	10. Lovers and Avengers

**_A/N: Okay, things are about to get pretty intense. I am warning you now. Everything is about to come together, so I hope you're still with me. We're getting close to the climactic ending so please just hold on a bit longer. Thanks!_**

Stacie pulled out her vibrating phone from her pocket with haste. Uni's name flashed across the screen, and she excused herself, stepping out of the apartment into the early morning sun.

"Yeah," was her answer.

"Stace," Uni said. "Is B okay?"

"She's stable. She's medicated right now, but she should be okay."

"Bumper's gonna need her tonight. It's something big, but he'll call her later."

"Okay, I'll shoot you a text when she wakes up."

"Okay, thanks."

Before she could walk back inside, another phone in her pocket rang. Evans. She picked it up swiftly, and the man breathed in relief.

"What happened, Conrad?" he asked. "We got word of a shooting down at one of Bumper's warehouses, and a lot of bodies turned up. Are you guys okay?"

"Well," she sighed. "B got hit, but she's stable now. She's trying to recover."

"Is she at the hospital?"

"You know we couldn't do that, Evans. We-we know a guy, okay? She's taken care of."

"What are you guys gonna do?"

"Well, we just got a call that Bumper has something big on the agenda for B tonight. Hopefully, we break something there, but I'll call you with details soon."

"Okay, keep me updated please."

"I will."

"Thanks."

Stacie hung up before returning inside, Benji and CR sitting across from her on the opposite couch. They had moved Beca to Chloe's bedroom, and the redhead was now making coffee in the kitchen. Stacie still could not understand why Chloe had reacted the way she had the night before when she had seen Beca's face. She had broken into tears before pulling herself together and tending to the girl, her pace quickening after that. Stacie was much too exhausted to worry about it now. Benji seemed to be cowering from his sister, and he alternated between sitting beside CR and checking on Beca. The redhead had not said anything since they had returned from the blood bank, and no one else could say much either. Everyone was on the verge of passing out, but no one wanted to do so before Beca awoke.

Chloe soon handed mugs to CR and Stacie before excusing herself to check on Beca. She ended up setting the mug on the nightstand, locking the room door before sliding beneath the sheets with the brunette. Her eyes were full of tears then, and she could not believe all that had happened. It was Beca that had brought Benji, her baby brother, into that life. It was her he had been hanging out with, and she knew what she had to do. When the brunette awakened, she would have to end whatever it was that had transpired between them. She had to save her brother, and she had lost sight of that for far too long. If it went on any longer, it could be Benji laying on her living room floor bleeding to death next time. For now, she enjoyed her final moments beside Beca before she had to do the hardest thing she would ever have to do.

* * *

Aubrey awoke to slivers of sunlight glaring in her eyes from a window across from her. She was tied to a chair in a small room with wooden walls and hardwood floor. She could feel blood trickling down her head, and her mind was foggy. She couldn't move. All she could do was blink. She couldn't remember much of what had happened to lead her here, and she couldn't focus. She knew she was in trouble though. She could hear voices from the other side of the wall behind her, and she tried to move but could not. Her body was numb, paralyzed. All that she could do now was wait and pray that everything worked out, that at least Benji and Chloe were safe when it all ended.

* * *

_"Life isn't one of your movies, J," Beca spat at the boy. "Mom and Dad aren't coming for us." Sixteen-year-old Jesse looked thoughtful a moment before replying to his sister._

_"Then we're like-Hansel and Gretel," he reasoned. "Their parents left them to protect them. Maybe that's what mom and dad did, and they grew up to be badasses."_

_Beca smirked now, ruffling her brother's hair. "I guess I can deal with that."_

_"Of course you can. You pride yourself on being a badass. That's why we're leaving for basic training in two weeks, right?"_

_"Right."_

_"Thanks by the way, for hitting that boy today."_

_"Well, I knew my pacifist brother wouldn't, which is weird because we're going to the Marines soon, but I have to protect you. It's my job."_

_"B, can you promise me something?"_

_"What?"_

_"Can we always stay together? Like, even when we're older, and we have families, can we still live next door to each other?"_

_Beca snorted. "You can have a family. I'll just live in your basement."_

_He grinned. "Uh oh. You're gonna be the creepy aunt that lives in the basement?"_

_"Yeah, why not?"_

_His face turned serious now. "B, just promise me something else."_

_"What is it?"_

_"Look, if something ever happens to me-"_

_"It won't."_

_"Just listen. If something does, just promise you won't shut everyone out. Promise you'll try to let yourself be loved. My big sister is awesome, I know that someone will want to love her."_

_"I doubt that."_

_"Promise me, B. If someone tries, you let them."_

_Beca gave an exaggerated sigh. "Fine. I promise."_

_He beamed now. "I love you, Becawwww!"_

_She chuckled. "I love you too, Little J."_

* * *

Beca's eyes fluttered open as sun streamed into the room. Panic was instantaneous as she awoke, and she slowly turned her head to take in her surroundings. It wasn't her bed, her bedroom at all. She heard soft breathing, familiar breathing tickling her neck. She looked over to find a slumbering Chloe, but that couldn't be right. The last thing she remembered, she was laying in the back of the car dying, blood gushing from a bullet wound in her chest. Her hand immediately shot up, feeling over her chest and finding it wrapped tightly with gauze beneath a loose t-shirt. Her breathing was shallow, and she felt slightly suffocated. She groaned as she tried to sit up, and this awoke Chloe. The redhead's eyes fluttered open, looking up to meet dark blue orbs. Beca froze where she was.

"Chloe, what are you-doing here?" she asked in a hoarse voice.

Chloe immediately shot up out of the bed, backing away nervously and nearly tripping over the nightstand. She breathed deeply, running a hand through her hair.

"Chloe?" Beca called again, and Chloe's eyes bulged. "What's wrong?"

"My-my brother brought you here," she breathed.

"Your brother? Who-" And realization hit her square in the face, her eyes popping out. "Benji?"

"Yeah, Benji. You-you had him in on all of this? You almost died, and he was with you. He could have been killed."

"Chloe, listen, I-" Then Beca saw something she had never seen in the redhead's eyes. Rage.

"Beca, you could have had him killed! That's my baby brother, and you could have gotten him killed! I can't do this anymore!"

"Chloe, please, I-"

"No! I lost sight of what was important! I forgot to protect my little brother, and you-you had him doing this shit with you! You're a fuckin' monster, and I should've stayed away! No, we're done, Beca! I'm not doing this! I'm taking my brother and-"

Beca jumped up from the bed in a flash, pinning Chloe against the wall. Chloe yelped in fear.

"Can you please listen to me!" Beca growled. "Please! Chloe, I love you. Just please let me explain. Please!"

Chloe searched the stormy blue eyes before her, and she found something there that startled her. It was a pleading look full of fear, and she had never seen it there before. It drove her to nod slowly, and Beca stepped back from her slightly, her hands dropping to her sides.

"I'm sorry," the brunette breathed, her eyes dropping to the ground. "Just-I have to tell you something, and I shouldn't because it could get us all killed, but I can't stand the thought of losing you. I love you so much, and I need you in my life, so I need to tell you something, but you have to promise me that you will not tell anyone, not even Benji."

She looked up now, and Chloe nodded, her arms nervously wrapping around herself. Beca knew that this may not be her best idea, but if she didn't tell Chloe, she would lose everything. It was crazy. Losing Chloe should be a good thing. She wouldn't be obligated to return from the life she was now wrapped so tightly in. She could live, breathe, stay in that darkness. Yet, she had promised Jesse something. She had promised him she wouldn't shut down. She had even dreamed of the day she made that promise while she was unconscious, as if he knew what she was going to do when confronted for the truth by the redhead. How though? How could she keep that promise when love could only rip her to pieces. Yeah, that's what it would do. It would tear her apart, and she refused to face that again.

"Uh, no, nothing," she at last gulped. "You're right. I'm a monster."

Chloe's eyes widened once more. "Wh-what?"

"You're right. Take Benji and go. You deserve better. I'm sorry."

Beca moved to leave out the door, Chloe frozen where she stood, but when Beca opened it, Stacie stood there. She looked up into the hazel green eyes of her best friend, and she saw a stern look there. Stacie stood her ground in front of the door as Beca tried to move past her. Finally, the taller brunette shoved her back into the room, stepping in and closing the three of them inside of it. Beca was trying to hold back tears as she sighed in resignation, knowing what her best friend was about to do.

"This is her, isn't it?" Stacie asked firmly, but Beca kept her eyes on her shoes. "Beca, answer me." Nothing. "You answer me right now! This is her, isn't it?" Beca at last slowly nodded, and Chloe's confusion deepened at the scene. "Then you tell her the truth."

Now Beca looked up, anger in her eyes, but Stacie wasn't going to back down this time. She refused to lose her best friend, and Chloe may be the only one that could keep her sane. If she let Beca walk out the door, she would never come back. Stacie would never see her best friend again, only a broken shell of the woman she had grown to cherish and love more than anything. They would lose her to the job they had been tossed into, and they would not be able to recover her. She couldn't do that. She had promised Jesse many moons ago that she would never let that happen. She wouldn't let Beca ruin herself.

"There is no truth to tell," Beca growled. "She doesn't want me-"

"No! She doesn't want the criminal, Beca! You listen to me! We lost Jesse, okay! We lost your twin brother! Yes, we did. He's dead! He's gone, and he's not coming back no matter what we do! Yes, I know that you want to avenge him and take out that agent, but that isn't you!" Chloe cringed. Could it be? "You're better than that!"

"Better than what, Stacie! Better than the law that allowed an FBI agent to kill my brother and let her walk free!" It could be. "What do I owe them! What do I owe the force that let my brother die in vain! I don't owe them shit!"

"You don't owe them anything, Beca! You're right, but I think you owe us something because we love you! We need you, Beca! We need you the way you need him! You're being selfish, Becs!"

"They took everything from me, Stacie!"

"But we're still here! We've always been here!"

"They don't even care what they've done me! What they've made me!"

"You don't have to go back to them, but you're gonna get out of this! It's what he would want! He isn't here anymore, Beca! Killing her won't bring him back, but it will take you away! You want us to suffer the way you do! I can't let that happen! I can't lose you too! I promised Jesse I wouldn't let you ruin yourself, and I won't! Now, tell her the truth, or I will!"

"I can't-"

"Do you really wanna lose her for your own stubborn, selfish reasons? You may think so now, but somewhere down the line, you'll regret it! It'll eat you alive from the inside out, and I can't let that happen! I won't!" Tears flooded her eyes now, something Beca had never seen on her best friend, not even at the funeral, and it tore her reserve down to ruins and shambles. "I've tried to take care of you, Becs, but I need help! I can't lose my best friend! Not again! You're all I have left! Please just tell her!"

"I-"

"Beca!" came Chloe's voice now, and Beca jerked her gaze towards her as if remembering she was present. Her bright blue eyes were filled with tears. "Please just tell me. Please. Don't do this. I love you so much, but I need the truth."

It was looking into those bright blue eyes that captivated her, cleared the grime from her eyes, the ice from her heart, the haze from her mind. As those vivid, cerulean orbs bore into her, she felt herself come back from the darkness, and all of the rage and anger evaporated from her body. Chloe stepped forward now, cupping the brunette's cheeks in order to keep their eyes locked, and Beca surrendered to the most brittle organ she possessed, praying it was also the smartest, and it wouldn't get her killed.

"Chloe," she sighed. "I'm-I'm a SWAT officer. I've been undercover. I've been trying to take the Syndicate down, and-I-yeah, I lost myself for awhile. I really thought I wanted this life, that I didn't wanna be good anymore because being good got my brother killed. Then I met you, and I remembered who I am. Yeah, Benji was mixed up in this, but I took him under my wing to protect him. I don't want anything to happen to him, and I made a deal with him. If I got out, he came with me. He agreed because he didn't know I was an officer, but I swear to God, Chloe, I'm only trying to protect him. I never meant to get him hurt. I'm good. I'm good." The brunette was sobbing softly now. "I'm good. I swear. I am. I'm good, Baby, just please. Please, don't-"

She trailed off now, and Chloe pulled her into a warm embrace, kissing the top of her head.

"I'm here, Baby," the redhead crooned. "I'm here, and I'm not leaving. I promise you."

"My brother died for this shit," she managed. "He-he gave his life for the force, and he died undercover, and you know what? A fuckin' FBI agent killed him in a sour raid." Chloe tensed now. No way. This could not be. "Benji, he's so much like Jesse." It could be. "He was my twin brother, and I lost him to this, and I-I don't wanna lose you or Benji. I can't. But they-"

Suddenly, something else hit Beca and she jumped out of the redhead's embrace. Stacie froze, and Chloe did as well. Beca looked at the redhead now, her face filled with a million emotions that could not be readily decrypted as all of the pieces came together. She was in quite a predicament now, and she could not believe this had happened.

"Wait," Beca breathed. "You're Benji's sister, so that means the blonde FBI agent is _your _best friend. That means-_your _best friend killed my brother."

"Becs," Chloe said in a small voice, hands up defensively in a gesture of surrender. "She feels terribly about it, I swear. Of course I never knew it was your brother, but she always has nightmares about the agent she killed by accident."

"She did a sloppy job." Beca's eyes flashed dangerously now. "She didn't even get punished!"

"She thinks about it all of the time, Beca, please. Trust me. She's my best friend, and I-"

"Becs," Stacie warned now, grabbing the small brunette's shoulder. "I told you, it won't bring him back. Hurting her is hurting Chloe _and _Benji. Do you want that?"

Beca huffed, storming out of the room now. Chloe and Stacie were in shock as they heard the front door open and close viciously, shaking the entire apartment. They entered the living room where Benji and Cynthia Rose sat frozen, eyes wide on the front door.

"What the hell was that?" CR asked.

"She connected the dots," Chloe sighed.

"What dots?" Benji asked, looking up at his sister.

Chloe huffed. "Beca and I, we're dating, Benji. Well, we were. I don't know, but she knows that Aubrey's my best friend, and-Aubrey-"

"Killed her brother," CR finished breathlessly.

"Yeah."

"What? How?" Benji asked.

"It was a sloppy FBI raid," Stacie replied. "Aubrey went in and shot Jesse, and no one ever told Beca who did it. They kept it from her."

"What? I don't get it. I don't understand."

"Benji." Stacie kneeled before him now, hands on his knees. "Listen to me, okay? I have to tell you something, and you have trust me and not say a word. Understood?"

"Yeah."

"We're SWAT agents."

"Wh-What?"

"Yeah. Jesse was Beca's twin brother. He was undercover, and he got shot in a raid. We're undercover now too, and we're gonna get out of this, but you have to do everything we say."

He nodded slowly, trying to register the revelation in his mind. He could not believe it, and it really didn't make sense. He could have never pegged Beca for a SWAT agent, but he loved her like a sister now, and he could not judge her for that. He did promise her. If she got out, so did he, and he was willing to keep that promise.

* * *

Beca walked the three miles in record time. It was cold, and all she had on was a t-shirt and gauze, but she didn't care. Her feet carried her to the familiar place, her mind hazy. She couldn't think straight. She just needed to be there. It was the only place she felt comfortable. She kneeled down in the soft soil, her hand running over smooth stone, tracing the name etched into it. "Jesse Alexander Swanson". She smiled softly, her fingers brushing the American flag that sat on the grave. She pulled it from the ground and tossed it away.  
"What do I do, Bro?" she half laughed, half cried, her hand again resting on the headstone. "I don't even know what to do. You and your pacifist ways would let her go free. You would let her go without justice, and see, Stacie's right. It wouldn't bring you back. It would cost me Benji and Chloe. There's more cons than pros." The silence was enough of an answer, and she smiled. "I guess I answered my own question. Well, I kept my promise, Little J. I let myself be loved, and I think she really does love me. It should have been you. I know it should have been, but-I don't wanna let you down anymore. You always looked up to me, and I thought that being a badass was the best example to set, but it's really not. Protecting my brother should have been my top priority, but no. I just wanted you to prove yourself all of the time. It wasn't you. Had it not been for me, you wouldn't have taken that undercover gig. You just wanted to impress me, to make proud. You would be here with me. You would be okay. I just-I promise you I'll stop fucking up. I promise, and no this, J. You _did _impress me. You impressed the hell out of me, and I'll always be proud of you."

With that, she kissed the stone softly before laying down and curling up beside it. Today was a new day. Today, the anger was washed away. Today, Beca could start anew, and she could finish out the job and walk away. She just had to find out how to do so, and with her mind cleared, the objective was as well. Now, she could focus on the mission, taking the syndicate down. For now, she just needed time with her brother.

* * *

Chloe looked at Benji expectantly as they stood in her room, tapping her foot. He kept his eyes downcast, his cheeks flushed.

"What were you thinking, Benjamin?" she finally asked.

"I-I wasn't," he managed.

"Well, no shit! Why did you do this?"

"I-I, Ronnie was doing it, and I wanted to fit in, so I did it too. The whole school was doing it."

"What if you would have been killed or sent to jail? Then what?"

"I-I don't know."

"Benji, this has to stop. I can't-"

"Chloe." He looked up now. "I promised Beca. If she gets out, I get out, so when she gets out, I do too, but I can't just leave. If she can't stop him, he'll come after me. They-they saw me talking to Aubrey the other night, and-they'll come after me if I don't do what they say."

"Benji." She sighed in exasperation. "Oh my gosh. I can't believe this."

"Wait, where _is _Aubrey?"

"Probably down at the station. She hasn't had time off in weeks. I'll call her in awhile."

"Just make sure she's okay. Where did Beca go?"

"Stacie said she would be fine, but I don't know where she went." Her eyes softened as she eyed the boy. "You really care about her, huh?"

"So do you." Chloe nodded. "She just-she didn't judge me. I felt like I made her proud."

"You don't think you make me proud?"

"Seriously? I'm a drug dealer."

Chloe giggled. "Well, yeah, but, Ben, I always just wanted what was best for you. I love you, and I'm glad Beca took care of you, but I want you to make it out. I don't wanna worry about you."

"Yeah, I know, and I'm sorry for everything Chloe. I really am."

"I forgive you."

She embraced the boy in a warm hug, ruffling his hair. This was her baby brother, the only blood she had left, and she knew now that her priority was to protect him, to see him make it because losing him was not an option.

* * *

Beca entered the apartment hours later soaked through with rain and tears after falling asleep beside her brother, and Chloe immediately rushed into her arms. She gripped the redhead tightly, her cold nose nuzzling into her neck. Stacie and Benji bumped fists with a grin, and CR chuckled.

"I-I can't do this alone," Beca breathed.

"You won't, Baby. We'll get through this, together, I promise. We're all here scared as hell for you, scared of losing you. We love you, and we want you to come back. We want you, _need _you to be good again."

"I just-I have to finish this. If I don't, people will keep dying. They will, and only I can stop this."

"Come on. Let's get you some food and some dry clothes, and then we can figure things out. I know that you have to be hungry."

Beca nodded slowly, and Chloe led her to the kitchen. As she did so, Stacie sent a text to Uni that let him know that Beca was awake. She only hoped that whatever was going on that night would be possible for the captain. She stowed her phone away and headed into the kitchen, all of them settling at the table while Chloe prepared dinner.

"Dude, seriously!" Benji squeaked suddenly. "How were you dating my sister?"

The group chuckled. "I changed her tire once," Beca shrugged nonchalantly.

"Seriously? That's all it takes?" Chloe slapped him upside the head. "Sorry."

"Well, I saved her from a junkie too, so..." She winked.

Stacie and CR laughed heartily, glad that the mood was lightened.

"That's quite some coincidence that happened here," CR sighed.

"No, I'm pretty sure my movie magic brother had something to do with it," Beca snorted.

"Yeah, you're right," Stacie giggled. "Leave it to him to put something like this together."

As Chloe set the plates on the table, Beca's phone began to ring. Everyone froze, and Stacie eyed her. She pulled it out, and she saw Cal's name flashing across the screen. She gulped audibly, hoping the man was only calling to check on her.

"Yeah," she answered, putting the receiver to her ear.

"B!" he boomed into the speaker. "How are you, kid?"

"I'm good, making a full recovery."

"Even bullies ain't bulletproof, right?" He chuckled, and she followed.

"Right. How did it go last night?"

"We moved everything down to the warehouse on Trenton, had to burn some local pigs, but we're all good. So, you feel up to working tonight?"

"Yeah, always. I'm fine."

"Okay, B. So we found you a present I think you're gonna like."

Her eyes bulged, but she kept her tone even. "Oh, really? What would that be?"

"We got that little blonde bitch here, but there's more. There's a rat in your group."

"A rat? What are you talking about?" She knew. They all knew, but she had to play along, and Benji began to visibly shake.

"That kid you run with. We caught him hugged up with her the night of the raid."

"Are you fuckin' kidding me?"

Cal grinned across the line. "No, we're not. Bumper plans to test his balls tonight. He wants him to kill this bitch."

"I told him she was mine." Everyone was in a panic now, seeing the rage return to Beca's eyes.

"Yeah, well, Bumper said if the kid can't do it."

"You shoot 'em both."

"That I can do. When do you want us down there? I'll go pick the little bastard up."

Cal's grin grew. "Midnight. We'll meet you at the warehouse. Have him there."

"You got it."

Beca hung up and slammed her fist on the table. "FUCK!" she roared.

"What?" Stacie asked.

"They have Aubrey," Beca huffed.

"What!?" Benji and Chloe shrieked.

"They have Aubrey, and they're gonna have Benji kill her. If he doesn't, I have to kill them both."

"Beca, you can't be serious," Stacie asked cautiously. "Beca, you can't-"

Beca's mind was reeling. She truly had a choice to make. Who was she? She had to ask herself now. Even after the talk with Jesse and Chloe and her team, when the option was handed to her again, she couldn't help but ponder. There was so much at stake, so much worth fighting for, but she knew that now it came down to one thing. It was either Aubrey and Benji or Bumper. There was no in-between, no grey area. The decision was all on her, and if she didn't make it, it would be made for her. With this, so many different variables came into play, and for the first time, Beca Mitchell didn't feel like such a badass. She was weak, and she could not believe that she still could not just make up her mind. She knew who she wanted to be. She wanted to be the person that Chloe deserved, the one that Benji could look up, but she also didn't want to be the big sister that never gave her brother justice. Something had to give however, and the guilt blew through her chest once more. Something had to give.

Beca calmly vacated the room, everyone still in their places not knowing what to do, what to think. She stepped out of the apartment, and the air was thick with tension. At last, Stacie snapped out of it, reaching for the phone in her left pocket.

"Evans," she breathed.

"Stacie, what's wrong?" came the man's voice laced with concern.

"We have a problem. Beca's fine, but Bumper called. He kidnapped that agent, the one that killed Jesse, but there's so much more that I can't really explain. What I'm saying is that we have to take Bumper down tonight. I'm gonna give you an address. I need Luke and the team here immediately. I don't know what Beca's gonna do, but she's losing it again. I thought I brought her back, but Bumper's giving her the option to kill the agent."

"Okay, I'll send them down. What's the address?"

After Evans took the address from Stacie, he hung up the phone, slamming it on the desk with a frustrated roar. With everything falling apart, the man was surely on the verge of a stroke or heart attack. Vice Commander Jones stepped in now.

"What's going on?" he asked his superior.

"Beca," he sighed. "She's lost herself. That agent that killed Jesse, Bumper has her. He's giving Beca the option to kill her. She's lost, and we can't bring her back.

Suddenly, another figure stepped into the room, and Evans looked up. When he did so and met bright brown eyes, his heart stopped. His eyes bulged, threatening to pop out of his skull at any second. He could not believe what he was seeing, but he knew this had to be serious.

"I think I can help," the man said with a wide grin.

Evans could only nod dumbly as he slid the man the address.


	11. To Keep A Promise and Prove a Point

**_A/N: So are we all ready for this climactic ending? Lets do this! there will be a couple more chapters including epilogue I believe, but Im not sure yet. We'll see. _**

**_To guest: The wound that Beca suffered to her chest was not so deep, hence Chloe's ability to extract the bullet. The problem was only the amount of response time and the blood she lost. It wouldn't hinder her mechanics or anything of the sort. She would be fine once her blood had been restored and she was hydrated. Lol everything I put in my stories, trust that I can explain if needed, but thank you to everyone for their attention to detail. I'm glad you're aware._**

* * *

When Stacie answered the door, she nearly fainted at the sight before her. He wasted no time.

"Where is she?" he asked.

She jerked her thumb towards the hallway, and he nodded, passing her and heading to the back bedroom. Stacie then greeted Luke, Amy and Lily, thrilled to see them again. Beca had been in Chloe's room for the last hour, walking back into the house minutes after she walked out and retiring to the back room. No one had wanted follow. They all feared her at the moment, knowing she was fighting a brutal war in her mind. The man saw the door slightly open, the light from within illuminating it. He gently pushed it open, registering the small woman sitting on the bed, her head drooping with her chin to her chest. Her pale hands gripped the sheets at her side, but when she heard him enter, her head snapped up. She never in a million years expected to see what now stood before her. Her heart stopped in that moment, her breath catching in her throat for what seemed like an eternity. She gasped, her eyes bulging as a million different emotions flashed through them. She could not believe what she was seeing, and she was frozen in her seat. Her face paled, and he chuckled.

"You look like you've just seen a ghost," he smirked.

"Jesse," she breathed. "What are you-how-"

"I'm alive. I-had to get out of the country for awhile because I knew Bumper's men would be looking for me. I wanted to call, but I was ordered not to. No one knew, not even the department. Not Commander Evans of Vice Commander Jones. No one. The CIA took me, but when I heard what was happening here, I knew I had to come back. I'm here, Becs, and that means you don't have to chase revenge anymore."

"You're-you're really here."

"Yeah, I'm here."

"But-I-I saw-your body. In the warehouse."

"After they cleared out the warehouse, the CIA took me, patched me up and got me out. They had me on a plane that night. That's why they had a closed casket. I wanted to tell you so bad. I was so worried about you, but I'm here now, Becs. For good."

The woman jumped up now, rushing into her twin brother's arms, and he scooped her up, holding her tightly. Tears fell from both of their eyes as they reunited once more. The feeling was unreal. For three years, they had still felt each other's presence linger. Jesse understood because he knew his sister was still alive. Beca could never explain it however, believing it was only his spirit that haunted. She had always felt a small jerk in the back of her mind telling her that he was okay, that something was being hidden from her, but being her usual pessimistic self, she just shrugged it off. Now, she was just glad to have him back. She hugged him tighter, sobbing into his chest. Then she pulled away, slugging him hard in the arm.

"OW!" he hissed in pain, grabbing his arm. "What-"

"You let me talk to an empty grave for three years!"

He chuckled now, ruffling her hair. "Sorry, Cap, it was the job."

She smiled now. "Wow, I-I can't believe it."

"Look, we'll talk about it later. Right now, we have a Syndicate to take down."

When they returned to the living room, Jesse took Stacie into his arms.

"What the hell?" Stacie muttered into his shoulder.

"Sorry about the heart attack earlier," he returned. "I just had to save our captain."

"Jesse, how-"

"The CIA put me under protection out in Cabo."

"This bastard went to Cabo?!" Amy shrieked. "Maybe I should fake my death too."

Everyone chuckled as Jesse shook hands and hugged Cynthia Rose. Beca then embraced Luke, and he smiled.

"Glad to see you back, Cap," he said softly.

"Yeah, I'm glad to be back," she breathed into his chest.

"You're gonna be okay now, right?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna be just fine."

Beca then hugged Amy.

"What up, Short Stack!" the Aussie greeted. "I missed ya, Squirt."

Beca chuckled. "I missed you too, Amy."

"Hey." She bumped shoulders with the captain now. "Who's the ginger?"

Beca smiled and walked over to a confused Chloe, taking her hand.

"Jesse, Amy, Luke and Lily, this is Chloe," she introduced, and the man grinned. "Chloe, this is our SWAT team. Guys, this is my-girlfriend."

"What!" Jesse boomed, suddenly scooping the redhead into a hug. "So this is the one that thawed out the old captain's heart, huh?"

"Shut up. Yeah, Chloe, this is the brother I will never cry over again."

Chloe giggled as Jesse smacked her shoulder. "Hey, I told you it was bound to happen."

"Yeah, but had it not been for me, she would have fucked it up," Stacie interjected.

They chuckled. "Then I'm glad she has such a good best friend."

"Someone has to put her in her place."

"Oh, and Jesse, this is Benji," Beca told him now, pointing to Benji. "This kid is just like you in so many ways, and he sort of replaced you."

The group chuckled again as Jesse glared at her.

"First of all, no one can replace your twin brother, but I'm sure we'll be good friends once we wrap this up," Jesse said, shaking Benji's hand. "Okay, we ready to get down to business?"

Beca nodded, and everyone headed into the kitchen. Amy pulled out her laptop as Lily set her briefcase on the tabletop, popping open the lid and beginning to fiddle with the tools inside. Luke took a seat at the head of the table across from Beca at the other end. Everyone listened intently for the plan.

"Okay, B," Luke huffed. "We've put a tracking sensor in your pistol as well as your phone. We're gonna inject one into your ankle in case of anything. Lily's getting that ready. We're gonna follow you out, and backup will come in as soon as you give the signal. All you have to do is tap your left thigh three times in succession. The microphone we're gonna put there is very small, but it'll pick it up. The military is setting up around the labs. Once we go in, they do too, and they shut it all down. We have soldiers at each warehouse and tailing every person on that list of names you gave us. Chloe will be with us because we don't trust anyone else with her. Commander Evans and Vice Commander Jones are on standby. We have all of our ground covered. You just have to get in, find Aubrey, and when Benji's prompted to kill her, he'll refuse. Bumper will then ask you to do it. That's when you take him and Donald out. Benji, you're gonna have to be a trooper tonight, alright?"  
"Yeah," Benji nodded quickly, and Chloe's grip on his shoulder tightened.

"We're gonna do the best we can to get in there quickly and take it down. We'll be as close as possible alright, and we'll give you about fifteen minutes from the warehouse before we follow because we don't want them catching the tail. Is everyone clear on this?" Everyone nodded. "We have your back, B."

"I can do it," she said firmly. "We'll be fine."

* * *

As midnight descended upon them, Benji and Beca readied themselves to leave. Lily injected a small tracking device into each of their ankles before covering it with their socks. The others pulled on their kevlar vests and radios, the military soldiers surrounding the anthrax labs already tuned in. Jesse and Beca stayed close together, and Chloe smiled. She was glad that Beca had been saved, had come back from that dark world. She was glad that Beca had her brother back, and the rest of the team shared that emotion. To see the man alive was surreal. After nearly four years of thinking he was dead, they still could not believe it. To see their captain fresh and full of life again made their heart swell, and they were glad to have the twins back.

At eleven thirty, Stacie, Benji, CR and Beca headed out to the car, Amy pulling up the tracking system on her screen. The others would move out when Beca and Benji reached their destination. Stacie drove down the foggy streets of Barden towards the Trenton warehouse. When they arrived, Cal, Uni and Garrett awaited them in a black SUV.

"Just you two will be needed," Cal assured them, and Stacie and CR nodded.

"You make her suffer, B," Stacie growled, completing the facade, and Cal grinned.

"Oh, you know I will," Beca returned.

She roughly grabbed Benji by the arm and shoved him forward, making Cal grin even more, the sadistic glee in his eyes causing Benji to cringe. The boy definitely looked terrified, and he knew that Beca had to be rough with him tonight. She threw him into the back of the SUV as Stacie and CR drove away.

"Wh-where are we going, B?" Benji asked, remembering their plan.

"We're gonna go to a little training exercise," she returned, looking out the window as Uni pulled out of the parking lot.

"What's-that?"

Beca turned on him now, Cal looking over his shoulder with delight as Uni smirked in the rearview window.

"You think we wouldn't find out that you're a fucking rat?" she snarled. "We have your little blonde bitch, and guess who gets to handle it."

"B, please, I-" Tears formed in his eyes now. The kid was good.

"Oh, please? Now it's please? I looked out for you! I had your back, and you stab me in mine? You have a choice, Benji. You kill the fuckin' pig, or I kill you both, and I'll make you watch because trust me. That bitch is gonna suffer good and long before it's over."

"No! B, please! She's- she's my sister's best friend! That's all!"

"Oh, don't worry. I'll make sure to find your sister and send her back with you."

Benji sobbed now, and Beca felt guilt in her gut, but she concealed it. Cal, Uni and Garrett had permanent smirks on their face.

"This is gonna be fun," Cal whispered.

"I told you," Beca grunted. "This fed is gonna be my finest work to date."

They arrived at a cabin deep in the woods forty-five minutes later, no cars parked outside.

"Who's here?" Beca asked.

"Just us then Bumper, Donald and Kolio," Cal replied. "Bumper didn't want too many people here. He'll be taping it though. Everyone wants to see the show."

"I'm sure. It's gonna be a good one."

Beca grabbed Benji by arm, dragging him forward as he continued to sob. Cal knocked on the door three times, and Kolio answered soon after. They entered, and Bumper was sitting at the table. He jumped up as Beca threw Benji down onto the floor hard.

"B!" the leader squealed, clapping his hands. "You're here. The games can begin!"

"Let's get this started," Beca growled. "I wanna see that bitch."

"Uni, Kolio, bring the pig out."

The two men disappeared through the hall, and they opened a door. Beca could hear the muffled cries of Aubrey, but she only felt sympathy now. Her brother was alive. There was no revenge to be had. Now, she had to save the blonde. They brought her out strapped to an office chair, and she was clad in only her underwear and white t-shirt. Benji cried harder from the floor when she saw the blonde, and Aubrey's eyes welled up when she saw the boy. Uni ripped the cloth from her mouth before he and Kolio began setting up the tripod and camera.

"Benji, are you okay?" she asked.

"Shut the fuck up!" Beca growled now, and Aubrey's snapped over to her.

"You," she breathed.

"Yeah, me, Bitch. Are you aware of what's gonna happen here tonight now?"

"Let him go!"

"Oh, we'll let him go as soon as he puts a bullet in your head."

"I can't!" Benji cried. "B, please!" She kicked him in the gut.

"Get up, and stop being a pussy! You kill her, or I handle you both, and trust that I don't have a problem with that, you little fuckin' snake!"  
Bumper grinned as well as Cal.

"No, B, please! I can't do it!"

"Benji, just do it!" Aubrey cried.

"NO! I can't!"

"Benji, you have to!"

"NO! I won't!"

"Is that your final answer, Benji?" Bumper asked now in a calm voice that sent chills up Aubrey's spine as if it were a game show and not a murder. "If so, I'll turn it over to B here."

"I-no, I can't do it."

"Very well. B, the floor is yours."

Beca nodded, swiftly pulling out her pistol, tapping her left thigh three times as she did so. Then she pulled out a knife.

"Hold him!" she ordered Uni and Cal, and they grabbed Benji up quickly as he cried out. "I want him to watch. I want him to see her suffer. You could've made it quick and easy, Ben, but no. You wanted this."

"No, please! Shoot me first!" the boy cried.

"Where's the fun in that?" The room chuckled save for Benji and Aubrey.

As Beca advanced on Aubrey, Benji screamed at her to stop, and Aubrey cringed. Still, there was no backup, and Beca knew she couldn't stall for long. Why was there no backup?

* * *

Luke drove the Suburban out through the woods before coming to a stop about five hundred yards from where Beca was. They unloaded the van, Chloe staying inside of it with Amy. They pulled on their helmets and holstered their sidearms. They loaded their rifles and carefully made their way towards their destination, a blinking dot on Lily's phone screen leading them. As they approached the illuminated cabin, they could see through the window just barely. Bumper and several other men stood around the living room, Benji clutched between the two bigger men. Beca could be seen in the next window, gun and knife drawn.

"Why isn't she calling us in?" Stacie hissed.

"Check that radio, CR," Luke shot.

"Nothing," CR returned. "She hasn't signaled."

"What the hell?"

"She can't really still be going through with this," Stacie breathed.

"I-I don't know. Fuck!"

* * *

Beca slyly tapped on her thigh for the third time as she circled Aubrey, but there was nothing. She was thinking of any way to stall. She leaned down so that her lips brushed against Aubrey's ear, causing the blonde to shudder. She stuck her arm out in front of Aubrey.

"You see that?" she whispered, and both women's eyes fell upon the four-diamond tattoo. "You were curious, were you not? You wanted to know they existed. Well, they do. They're your worst fuckin' nightmares. The bureau is going to fall to us just like those agents in the warehouse did. Just like you're about to."

Beca put the knife to her neck, gripping her gun tightly, praying for backup to come. Bumper was getting impatient as he began tapping his foot.

"Come on, B!" he whined. "How long are you gonna play with her for?"

"Til I can smell the fear on her," Beca replied softly.

"You're a monster!" Aubrey spat. "You're nothing but a fuckin' coward."

This statement earned her a smack to her head with the butt of Beca's pistol. Bumper squealed happily. Beca was running out of time. She pulled the blade swiftly across Aubrey's cheek, and the blonde whimpered as blood trickled from the fresh wound. Benji cried out again, and Beca was losing patience, losing hope.

* * *

"Luke, we have to go in," Stacie said.

"She hasn't signaled-"

"Fuck the signal! Luke, something has to be wrong with the radio. Her hand has hit her thigh multiple times. She's gonna have to kill them!"  
Luke huffed, his eyes now on Beca as he saw her cut a gash across the agent's cheek. He knew he had to make a move. There was no other choice. If he didn't move now, Benji and Aubrey would die, and Beca would have their blood on her hands.

"CR, send the military into those labs," he huffed. "Let's move."

He silently waved his hand forward, gesturing the team to move in.

Beca gripped her gun tighter as Benji screamed. The brunette looked up at him, gun pointed at his head. Benji was creating the perfect distraction, and she knew it now.

"Shut the fuck up!" she boomed. "Gag him!"

Uni and Cal did so quickly, busy with Benji, and Beca knew this would be her only shot. She looked over at Donald and Bumper, the two main targets. Her gun was raised in a second, and two shots went off. One took down Donald but missed Bumper. As this happened, the front door flew open. Her team finally rushed in, taking down Cal, Garrett, Uni and Kolio as they entered.

"Where the fuck were you guys!" Beca screamed.

"We didn't get the signal!" Luke replied.

"Bumper took off! I'm going after him!" And she was out the back door.

Luke looked at Jesse, and no words needed to be said. He immediately rushed after his sister. Beca ran through the trees, Bumper's yellow and purple striped shirt barely visible in the dark of the woods. She dodged trees strategically, trying to get a shot, but she could not. At one point, she tripped, tumbling down the hill a good ways before regaining her footing and continuing on the run. Bumper could see a vehicle hidden in the trees, and he immediately rushed for it, knowing it had to be the SWAT vehicle. He reached the door, catching Amy by surprise. Pulling out his pistol, he put it to her head.

"Out," he said before slamming the gun over her head, knocking her out.

He was not aware that Chloe was now in the very back of the SUV, collapsing onto her back and freezing when she heard the voice. He started up the car and pulled out. Beca reached the clearing as he reversed.

"Fuck!" she cried as she saw Amy but no Chloe.

Jesse appeared behind her, but she didn't turn to him. She dashed towards the SUV, jumping and barely grasping the bar on its roof, her body colliding with the side of the vehicle. Bumper rolled down his window as he tried steering down the trail and shot out of it. Beca swung herself onto the top of the car, holding on for dear life as the vehicle swerved viciously. She peered over the side, and she could see bright, red hair in the back of the vehicle before the window shattered, another one of Bumper's bullets aimed at her. She rolled back on top of the car as they sped down the hill, the interstate beginning to come into view. Beca slyly tossed her gun inside, praying to God that Chloe knew what to do. Beca then climbed towards the front of the car to distract him. He began shooting at the roof. Chloe snapped out of her trance, seeing Beca's pistol land beside her as Bumper continued shooting upwards. She knew what she had to do. She had to kill him. It would be tough. The car would probably crash, and Beca may fly off, but if she didn't shoot him, he would kill Beca and her as well. She shakily picked up the gun and sat up cautiously. She looked over the seat, Bumper's crazed eyes on the road. She carefully extended her arms, aiming the gun at his head. He hit a bump then, and the shot went off and hit the windshield, shattering it. He then whipped around, his eyes meeting Chloe's, and hers bulged in fear. He growled, pointing his own gun back at her, but before the shot went off, two small legs flew through the windshield opening, hitting Bumper in the chest and knocking the gun out of his grasp. Beca reared back and kicked him in the chest again. He was trying to steer still, and Chloe quickly jumped up to the next seat. Beca slid into the passenger seat, her and Bumper fighting back and forth. His fist slammed into her face, her head clashing with the window and creating a large crack. She was dazed. Chloe could tell. She then reached over, hitting Bumper with the pistol in her hand. Bumper reached back, grabbing the redhead's wrist. Beca shook her head, trying to clear the haze. She pulled back her foot before stomping into Bumper's face. The SUV flew right over the interstate, zooming down the other side of the hill on only two wheels. Soon, it flipped, and it became a sea of tangled limbs and breaking bodies. Bumper was able to get a grasp of Beca's neck for a moment then she pushed him away. He saw his gun cascade down the dash, and he grabbed it. It was then that Beca's head collided with the dash, and she was disoriented once more. Chloe struggled to turn over as the SUV hit another tree, still fumbling down the hill. Then a gunshot rang out, but no one could see where it came from or where the bullet ended up as they continued to roll along.

* * *

Luke and the others reached Jesse and Amy, who was barely coming to, in one of the vehicles they found at the cabin. They jumped out, CR and Stacie rushing to the Aussie's side to check her out. Jesse's eyes were bloodshot as he stared down the hill longingly.

"What happened?" Luke asked. "Where's Beca?"

"She-followed Bumper," he croaked. "He took the SUV, and-Chloe." Benji and Aubrey gasped.

"Beca jumped on top of it, and they flew out of here."

"Okay, come on. Let's go. We have to find them."

"I-I heard a gunshot."

"Jesse, Stay with me. Come on."

They loaded back in the Suburban, Amy laying in the back. Luke sped down the trail, looking desperately for any sign of the vehicle, his captain, the redhead or Bumper. They at last reached the interstate, and Luke came to a halt, banging his hands against the steering wheel.

"Fuck!" he roared. "Which way?"

Everyone surveyed the area closely, frustration evident in each of their eyes. Silence fell around them for a moment. They heard nothing that could help them. Then something caught Stacie's eyes in front of their vehicle.

"Look," she said, pointing up ahead. "Those skid marks stretch across the road."

"We can't-"

Luke stopped, his eyes bulging as he looked at Jesse. Fear struck their hearts as they all jumped out of the Suburban with anxious haste, guns in hand, rushing to the other side of the road. Looking down, they could see that a path of destroyed foliage had been created by something fairly large. Further down the mountain, they could make out smoke. It had to be the vehicle. Jesse was the first one to break into a full sprint, racing down the steep hill as quickly as possible with Stacie and the team in his wake.

* * *

At last the SUV hit a tree solidly, and it came to an abrupt stop. Silence fell, the only sound heard being the heavy breathing of two individuals. Chloe could see Beca slumped over against the window of the dented in door that had her body wedged between it and the dashboard. Bumper was half hanging out of the window, but the redhead couldn't tell which one was breathing and which one wasn't, her mind clouded from the entire event. Then she looked down at the smoking pistol in her bloody, shaking hands, and she sighed. She gingerly slid down towards the window, whimpering a bit at the sharp pains racking her body then kicking at the cracked glass until it shattered. Maneuvering her body so that it faced the opposite direction, she crawled out of the SUV, and she could feel blood all over her. She collapsed on the soil beside the SUV, trying to stand up but failing. She took her time to catch her breath. As she tried once more to get up, she heard ruffling through the trees. She looked up the hill to see a group of people rushing towards her. She registered Stacie's long legs and Jesse's large form first. Then she saw her brother and best friend, and she smiled softly.

"Chloe!" Aubrey shrieked, racing down and sliding on her knees to her side. "Chloe, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I think so," Chloe said in a hoarse voice. "Jesse, Beca's in the front seat."

Jesse nodded, and he and Luke rushed over. They could see Beca's tiny body crushed between the door and the dashboard, and it took both of them as well as some help from CR to pry the door open. Beca's body fell out of the car with a soft thud, and she groaned in pain.

"Becs!" Jesse said, kneeling beside her. "Are you okay?"

Beca's eyes fluttered open, and she looked up at her younger brother. Then, she smirked.

"It's gonna take a little more than that," she whispered, and he chuckled. "But damn, that was the most sickening ride I've ever been on."

CR and Stacie moved over to Bumper, and Stacie checked for a pulse.

"He's dead," she reported.

"Get some paramedics and backup down here," Luke directed Amy. "Let's move away from the vehicle before it explodes or something."

Jesse picked up his small sister in his arms and trudged back up the hill, Luke carrying Chloe. Stacie and CR dragged Bumper out. They would need the body of course. When they reached a safe enough distance, they settled down to wait for backup. Beca sat against a tree, her arm pressed firmly to her side. Chloe curled into her opposite side, Benji flanking her as well.

"You did good, kid," she assured him, ruffling his hair with her good hand. "Sorry about the whole tough guy thing."

"I understand," Benji replied. "You had to do it, to keep us all safe."

"Yeah, I did, and now, we're good, right?"

"Yeah, we're good."

"We had a deal though, remember?"

"Yeah, you get out, I get out."

"Okay, and we're keeping it, right?"

"Right."

Aubrey quirked an eyebrow as she saw the interaction between the three, and she knew that she was missing something. She carefully stepped closer to them, and they looked up.

"So...you were SWAT the whole time?" she asked Beca timidly now.

"Yup," Beca replied, wrapping her arm around Chloe.

"And you-Chloe, I-"

"I was secretly dating a Syndicate member," the redhead returned proudly. "Well, I thought I was, but I was actually dating an undercover SWAT officer."

"So, you didn't know she was-"

Chloe sighed. "No, Aubrey, I didn't know she was undercover. Yes, I stayed even after I saw the tattoo. Sorry. Not sorry."

Beca and Benji chuckled as Chloe smiled sweetly, and Aubrey wrinkled her nose before turning back to the small captain in the middle.

"So, you weren't really gonna kill me?"

"Oh, I _was_ gonna kill you," Beca replied nonchalantly, and Aubrey's eyes bulged. "Many times. You see that guy over there?" Aubrey followed her gesture to Jesse, and she gulped. "That's my twin brother, the brother I thought was dead for three years because of you. Him coming back kinda may or may not have saved your ass. Chloe and Benji may have helped too."

"Oh my gosh. Beca, I-I'm sorry. So sorry. I-I didn't mean to-"

Beca stopped her. "I know you didn't, Posen. I know. It's forgotten. He's back, he's alive, and I have my family. We're all alive, so I can't complain."

Aubrey smiled weakly. "Thanks. For not letting Benji die."

Beca looked over at the curly-haired boy. "He's my baby brother. I couldn't do that."

"Yeah, mine too."

"Aww, happy family!" Chloe cooed.

"Shut it, Red," Beca warned.

"I told you," Jesse sighed now, hands on his hips as he stepped over. "Endings are the best part."

"You're such a weirdo!"

He chuckled and ruffled his twin sister's hair. She grinned up at him, a grin that no one had seen adorn her features in over three years, and everyone who caught a glimpse of it in that moment mirrored it. Their captain had returned, mind, body and soul, back to them. They had done it. It would all be over soon, and Beca would be there with them.

* * *

At last, sirens broke the silence of the woods, and Luke and Stacie were already on top of the hill to wave them down. Everyone began moving up the hill, and Jesse stayed with Chloe and Beca to wait for the paramedics.

"Are you okay, Baby?" Chloe asked Beca.

"Yeah, I think so," Beca replied. "Just a little busted up but nothing too serious."

"Well, you survived a bullet wound. What's a little car crash?"

"Yeah, and Baby?"

"Yes, love?"

"We really gotta teach you how to shoot." Beca chuckled before Chloe reached over and slapped her hurt arm, and she yelped. "Ouch!"

"He hit a bump, okay?"

"Yeah, okay, Baby."

"Hey, I still saved your ass. I killed him."

"But you could've done it _before _we wrecked."

"Must you complain _all_ the time?"

"You know me." She winked.

"Yeah, and next time I'll let you get shot."

Beca grinned, kissing Chloe's forehead softly.

"I love you, Red."

"I love you too, Brown."


	12. With Time on Our Side

The anthrax labs were taken into the control of the United States military. Every member of the Allen Syndicate with a tattoo had their houses raided thanks to the list Beca and her team had compiled. They were charged with murders of Crowned King members as well as Greg's boys. In turn, many Crowned King soldiers were scooped up as well. The streets were cleaned up, the anthrax scare put to rest slowly but surely as Barden began to flourish once more, and the military had seized and confiscated all weapons of mass destruction from each of Bumper's warehouses. The team had moved out of the slums and back into their respective houses, and it was a relief at best. Beca made it out of her dark adventure with nothing more than a severely broken arm, a few fractured ribs and a strained hamstring complete with fractured ankle. She also needed surgery on her knee, but it wasn't too bad. Chloe came out with a few fractures to her ribs and wrist as well as a slew of cuts, but she was okay nonetheless. President Abigail Kendrick was in Barden two months after the SWAT team took down the Syndicate to present special awards to Beca and her team. Chloe was named Director of the Narcotic Recovery Unit once she was cleared to go back to work, Aubrey had been named unit Chief of the FBI, and Benji was actually on track to graduate. Everything was looking up for them.

As President Kendrick called Beca up to place an onslaught of medals on her uniform, everyone clapped and cheered. She had done it. It had costed Beca much, and at Chloe's suggestive, and sometimes aggressive, pushes, she had agreed to even see a psychiatrist for a little while. Yes, it had costed her countless hours of sleep, pieces of her soul, chips of the ice on her heart, and at one point, herself entirely. She had been lost in the dark sea of the Syndicate for so long, but somehow she had come back. She had returned with all intact, and her family was glad to see it. Commander Evans watched on proudly as she walked onto the stage, leaning heavily on a crutch placed under the arm not currently in a sling.

"Uh," she hummed into the microphone after she had received her awards, Kendrick urging her to speak. "I would just like to say that we appreciate everyone's cooperation during this difficult time in our city. I know that not many had hope in our law enforcement, but I can assure you that we take our oath seriously in protecting you. I would like to thank my SWAT team as well as the various FBI agents that aided in the case. It wasn't our finest hour. The takedown wasn't clean-cut or perfect, and a lot of blood was shed which pains me deeply. However, it was real, and we were able to take down the greatest threat to our city, to our country."

Everyone cheered as she gave a small wave before hobbling off of the stage. After the ceremony came to a close, the team went down to Gate's Steakhouse for some good-old fashioned R&R. They had become quite close since the events of that fateful night. They had spent Thanksgiving and Christmas together, and Beca had been happy to see her best friend getting a bit overly cozy with a certain blonde FBI agent. To say that relations between the Sheriff's department and the FBI had been mended would be a bit of an understatement. With Aubrey introducing Denise and Cynthia Rose after meeting Stacie and Gail somehow finding her way into a secret-not-so-secret casual relationship with Vice Commander Jones, the two departments had really come together to see the light of their situation. The FBI had been thoroughly cleaned out after Quanico stepped in, and Aubrey found herself surrounded by an entirely new team. Ashley and Jessica were now part of that team as well, and Barden was surely coming back to its usual self.

Beca flopped down in a chair beside Chloe, Benji sitting beside her. To say that Benji looked up to Beca would be the understatement of the century. Beca had virtually picked up where Benji's father had left off, Chloe playing the motherly role and Aubrey? Well, Aubrey was just the scary ass bigger sister as always, and he usually approached the brunette first before even considering the blonde or the redhead. This occurred on subjects such as his first date, senior prom, college application and career ideas. Beca tutored Benji in school, told him a lot of stories, gave him heart-to-hearts and life lessons. His best friend however was Jesse. They watched movies together every weekend, and the Star Wars trilogy was their mutual favorite. They could talk for hours about video games, movies, and superheroes, which brought them to the debate that had been started in the car ride over and was now set on the table.

"Come on, Dude!" Beca boomed. "Let's be real here. Batman could kick Spiderman's ass."

"Seriously?" Jesse shot back. "Spiderman could have him stuck in a web before he moved."

"I don't care how strong his silly string is, Bro. Batman will rip that shit to pieces."

"Okay, you guys obviously haven't indulged yourselves in Green Lantern," Aubrey smirked.

Jesse and Beca dropped their jaws, looking at the blonde as if she had just killed someone.

"Please remove yourself from my presence, Posen," Beca said curtly.

"Green Lantern is like the worst protector on the face of the earth," Jesse agreed. "And that movie? Horrendous."

"What about Superman?" Chloe pouted.

"Don't get me started," Beca sighed in exasperation. "He is the most generic superhero since Captain America. Like seriously?"

"Although his taste in women is not so shabby," Jesse pointed out.

"I agree, Sir," Beca nodded, eliciting a smack from Chloe, causing the brunette to hiss in pain. "Batman's still better."

"Well, you're gonna be as crippled as him if you keep at it."

"Dully noted."

As their drinks arrived, Beca took a long swig of her beer and smacked her lips.

"Hey, I did hear they're making a movie about us," Jesse whispered conspiratorially.

"Oh, yeah?" Luke asked. "I bet they get Markie Mark to play me."

Beca snorted. "That would be fitting."

"Hey!" Jesse snapped. "Michelle Rodriguez is playing you, Cap."

"Mmm," Beca drawled. "That means I get to meet-" Another slap from Chloe. "Ouch, woman!"

"Think before you speak," the redhead warned.

"I just wonder. Would it be weird to hang up a poster of her playing me above our bed?"

All she got was a leveling glare in response, and she flinched. The table chuckled as the waitress arrived to take their food orders and supply more pitchers of beer. They topped off their cups and surrendered their orders before relaxing back.

"So what do you guys think we should do?" Jesse sighed.

"I say you take us back to Cabo," Beca replied, and everyone nodded in agreement.

"Seriously?"

"J, we're filthy rich now in case I forgot to tell you. We could buy our own island."

"Well, we've been talking about early retirement, haven't we? What with Beca all broken and all." Beca slapped him upside the head with Chloe's hand. "Ow!"

"I still have weapons, Swanson."

"Yeah, yeah. For real though, what do you think?"

"I think we close out the year here, let the little brother here graduate, and we go wherever the path leads us."

"Sounds good to me."

* * *

That night, Beca and Chloe lay in the brunette's bed. She ran her hand through wavy, red tresses softly. Chloe sighed in content at the feeling. Their bodies were not yet fully healed, but the pain seemed to dull when they were curled up with one another. Benji's soft snores could be heard from his bedroom down the hall.

"So..." Chloe said softly after a long, comfortable silence. "What are you planning on doing?"

"Like I said, we finish out the year," Beca replied. "I told Evans there's a good chance that I'm leaving the force."

"But-is there still so much bad blood between you and the force, Babe? I mean, your brother's alive now. Jesse's okay. We all are."

"That's the thing though, Chloe. We're alive right now. That's perfect means to quit while we're ahead. I don't wanna take that for granted and wait for something else to happen. The Syndicate's gone, but with that, comes the launchpad for more criminals, bigger criminals taking pages out of the crazy fuck's playbook. I won't expose my family to that any longer. I nearly lost everything, including myself, and what would they have done, Chlo? Would Kendrick still be here passing out awards had we failed? No. Had we died and let Bumper go, we would have been nothing more than a few more agents that died trying and are not worth remembering. They don't care if we try, only if we succeed, and I won't be taken advantage of anymore. You know, Evans covered for me so much during this mission, and I'm grateful, but it isn't him I'd be leaving. It's the principals that the force is based on. Your life doesn't mean shit until you risk it for your country, and then when you risk it, it still doesn't mean much but a folded up flag and twenty-one rounds of ammo."

Chloe was silent for a moment, shocked at the brunette's outburst. Sure, they had playfully joked about buying an island and leaving behind this life for good, but they had never really talked about it in serious detail. They had never discussed what Beca wanted to. They never talked about the force or her feelings towards returning. Chloe figured it would come with time, but after receiving all of those medals, Beca saw the truth. Although she had recovered nearly all that she had lost for the force, there _were_ things it had kept that she could never get back. Her peace, her youth, her innocence had been robbed by the military and law enforcement branches quickly without remorse. They had shaped and molded her into something that she had never wished to be, and she had finally broken away from the beast within. She never wanted to see it again, but she knew there was a chance that she would if she continued on in this manner. She wanted to live, really live and enjoy her time with her family. She had been given a second chance with her brother, with love, with family. She refused to jeopardize that again, and that was a vow to herself.

"I just-" Beca sighed, stilling her hand in Chloe's hair and cupping the redhead's chin so that their eyes met. "I want you. I want us. I wanna cut my losses and build a family with you. We're only twenty-five, Chlo, and I wanna spend the next fifty years or so beside you without worry. We can invest and run our own lives without serving people that don't give a damn about me. Your job is different, I know. Those people need you, and if you wanna stay, I'll be here beside you, but I want this. I want that sappy love story with with the white picket fence and the minivan, okay maybe not the minivan, but a badass Suburban and a German Shepherd and a few little redheaded kids running around making me wanna tear my hair out because that would mean that I could prove to you how deeply in love with you I am. That would mean that I survived the past and gave you a future. I want you, Chloe, and only you. I don't wanna be a gang member or a drug dealer or a SWAT officer or a Marine anymore. I wanna be-" Chloe finished it.

"My badass."

Beca flashed that lopsided grin. "Exactly."

"Then that's what you'll be."

* * *

**SEVEN YEARS LATER...**

Beca sat out on the warm sand, her knees drawn up to her chest as the tide rushed in and kissed the shoreline softly. She pushed her sunglasses further up her nose and gazed over the glistening water. The sun was getting ready to set, the sky painted with deep purples and blues and oranges. Just another day on the beach of course. Beca smiled.

"B, you want dogs or cows!" Jesse called from the grill.

She smirked. "Cows, you bozo!"

He chuckled. "Got it."

Beca jerked her head back towards the shore when she heard gleeful screaming. She looked over to meet bright blue eyes and bouncy red curls flying at her.

"Mama!" the little girl shrieked as she flew into Beca's chest.

"What are you doing, Little Blue?" Beca asked with amused concern.

"Water get me!"

Beca chuckled, hugging the two-year-old tightly. She wiped some sand off of Brooklyn's cheek before pressing a kiss to it. Everyone still had trouble believing that Chloe had allowed Beca to name their daughter Brooklyn, but Chloe had assured them that the captain had given a very passionate argument about their child having a badass name. Their four-year-old twins had been named in the same fashion, Liam Jacob after Beca's favorite actor (who played Commander Evans in the movie they made based on Beca's team) and Jackson Rey, which Beca found all the way badass. Brooklyn Alexis was given her middle name by her redheaded mother, who had carried all three children, but Beca had still been more dominant in the naming process. Chloe only used Brooklyn's middle name to save her dignity.

Brooklyn sat down between her brunette mother's legs, hiding from the water now and playing with the sand at her feet. It had been six years since Beca had finally called it quits with the force, six years since they all did. For four of those years they had lived solely on the island that Beca had purchased (no one cared to ask how), but they returned after that to raise their families and allow them to be normal children. Well to be as normal as possible in California. Stacie and Aubrey had three children now with Cade, Bella and Anthony. Luke and Amy, no one understanding how the relationship was created to this day, had two boys with Luke Junior or Junior for short and Addison. Jesse and his wife Emma had Ellie, Cassie, and the twins Marcus and Elijah. CR and Denise had Derek, Deacon and Kiana. It was a pretty nice set up they had put together for their families as well. Well, Beca had not been kidding when she said she would invest.

The first thing Beca invested in was Benji's education. He was going to study technology, and she sent him with his full tuition paid off to Stanford. He returned four years later with a degree and a lot to offer the world, starting his own company with Luke being his main investor. CR and Beca also invested in a record label, Beca actually flexing her lyric writing skills here and there but mostly just owning the company, its own management in place courtesy of CR and her secret love for music. Chloe had her own private practice now, and she was the best in the business according to the whole of Southern California. She focused on narcotic treatment and counseling for users. Jesse was finally in on the movie scene with his wife, actually scoring a role in the movie about the agents only he didn't play himself. They had Brad Pitt play him, and he played, well, Benji. Luke and Amy helped out down at the label as well, but the two mostly did a lot of traveling, Luke of course working with Benji for the most part. Lily was off on her own now, still working as a private investigator, and she was actually the one to bring in Kimmy Jin after the government searched for her for two years with no luck. Aubrey retired from the FBI after staying on with them for two extra years only because of the promotion. She felt obligated to stay and put the bureau back together, which she did, and Stacie stayed with her. The brunette now worked with CR managing the label, and she also helped open up one of the hottest nightclubs in LA. Beca was most idle of them all of course, and after Chloe gave birth to the three children, it was her that stayed home with them. In fact, when Stacie gave birth to Cade shortly after their retirement, he spent a lot of his first years with his Aunt Beca. Many of the children did especially Jesse's. Who knew badass Captain Mitchell was the best playmate known on Earth. Yeah, she had definitely done well for herself.

Chloe sat down beside Beca now, kissing the brunette's cheek.

"What are you doing, honey?" she asked the toddler between her wife's legs.

The smart little redhead sighed in exasperation.

"Tell Mommy, Mama," she demanded, and her parents chuckled.

"She's hiding from the water," Beca stage whispered.

"Oh...I see," Chloe replied.

Liam and Jackson came running up the beach, tired of chasing four-year-old Cade and six-year-old Junior. Liam latched onto his brunette mother's back now.

"Mama, when can we eat?" he whined.

"Go ask your Uncle Jesse," she replied. "He's on grill duty."

"He keeps talking about cows and dogs," Jackson huffed. "I just want food."

Chloe chuckled and turned to look at her brother-in-law.

"Jesse, can you hurry it up!" she called. "Your nephews are starving!"

"Okay, okay, I'm going," he grumbled. "Come here, squirts!"

The boys rushed off towards their uncle. Chlo wrapped her arms around Beca's, resting her head on the brunette's shoulder.

"Can you believe that we made it this far?" she sighed.

"I told you we would," Beca reminded her. "I promised you. Although, I had been kidding about the little redheaded kids." Chloe smacked her arm. "Kidding. Kidding."

"Hey, the twins have your hair, remember?"

Beca grinned, looking over at her two brunette sons. "Yeah, and I'm still not sure how the hell that happened."

"Well, you did get a pretty good look-a-like to donate."

"Oh, right." She cringed. "Not my best idea."

"Yeah, huh, because they look just like you, and they're handsome."

"Still a bit awkward."

Chloe giggled. "I guess it is. Okay, scratch that thought."

"Thanks."

"Seriously though, Becs, you really did amazing on this family. Getting Benji through school, saving up all the money you did, raising these kids. I'll never understand how I got so lucky."

"You wanna know how you got so lucky?"

She leaned in now, her lips brushing the shell of Chloe's ear, causing the redhead to shudder, her eyes fluttering closed.

"How?" Chloe breathed.

"You-didn't-know-how to change a tire."

Chloe jerked back, her eyes snapping open as she scowled at her chortling wife. She smacked her shoulder once more, and Brooklyn popped her head up.

"Mommy!" she scolded. "No hit Mama!"

"Yeah!" Beca threw in. "Don't hit me."

"You're gonna get it, Mitchell," Chloe growled.

"We'll see about that, Mitchell."

"Oh, we will. You'll see."

"Whatever you say."

"OKAY!" Jesse boomed. "Food's ready!"

The children all rushed towards their Uncle Jesse and Chloe stood up to help. Her seat beside the brunette was immediately replaced by Aubrey, who Beca flashed a smirk to.

"Beale-Mitchell," she sighed, looking out on the ocean.

"Conrad-Posen," Beca retorted, doing the same.

"I swear, these kids will wear you out."

"Tell me about it. Twins. Jesus."

"Hey, you asked for it."

"I did no such thing!"

Aubrey smirked, patting Beca's shoulder. "Can you believe it? All of this?"

"You know, your best friend just asked me the same question, and it's still a bit surreal."

"Isn't it though? I never expected all this." They sat in silence a moment. "B?"

"A?"

"Thanks for not killing me."

"Thanks for not hitting my brother well enough to kill him."

She chuckled lightly. "I guess that works."

"You know, we go through this apology every year, Bree. The man's standing right there, and hell. Sometimes, he annoys the living shit out of me, and I think that maybe he should've played dead a little longer."

Aubrey slapped her shoulder. "You don't mean that."

"Sometimes I do. You know, when were sixteen, he made me promise that no matter what, we would stay together. We would always live next door to each other and stuff. I laughed at him, but it wasn't because of him wanting us to live next door to each other with our families. It was because I never pictured having a family of my own. I told him I would just be the creepy aunt that would live in his basement." The blonde giggled. "Then that damn redhead with those damn crystal blue puppy dog, Disney princess eyes had to come along and change everything."

"Chloe has that effect."

"Hey, you do too. If someone would have told me eight years ago that my best friend was gonna calm her pits and settle down, I would have died of laughter. Now, look at her. You tamed the beast."

"Oh, she wasn't that-"

"You don't wanna finish that sentence. Trust me. I know Stacie. I've known her all my life. You did a number on her, and you should be proud, so I guess we're even, and I can say thanks for loving my best friend."

"Thanks for loving mine."

"You know something? I-I love you too, Bree, really. I mean, I hated you once, but starting this big ass family of little rascals with you, I'm happy to say we're family too."

Aubrey clutched at her chest, feigning shock. "Beca Beale-Mitchell!"

Beca rolled her eyes. "Never mind. I take it back."

"You can't take it back! You said you loved me!"

"I have no idea what you're talking-"

"Relax, Mitchell. I love you too. It's sort of a love-hate thing. I love the shit out of you when you're not coming to my house just to eat all of the Oreos or teaching my kids how to blow things up."

"Hey, that was one time! You teach my kids how to fold napkins! Like really? Are you trying to get them bullied! And besides, blowing shit up is essential to a healthy functioning childhood."

"Did you blow shit up as a kid?"

"Constantly."

"That explains a lot. You fried some nerves. And stunted your growth."

"Watch it, Conrad-Posen. I can still whoop ass."

"As can I."

"But you still can't shoot a gun."

"How the hell could I not shoot a gun?"

"You didn't kill Jesse!"

"Did you want me to?"

"Well, no, but still! Isn't it ironic that your horrid aim saved your life!"

"You wouldn't have killed me."

"Oh, yes I would've."

"Chloe wouldn't have let you!"

"Chloe would have been hit with a tranquilizer."

"What!"

"Will you two stop bickering and come eat!" Stacie and Chloe yelled in unison.

Aubrey and Beca looked at each other. "Creepy," they hissed. Their wives did tend to have that whole telepathy thing going on though it wasn't as bad as Beca and Jesse, but that was understandable. Then again, Chloe and Stacie did have to say that particular sentence a lot. The two stood up and made their way over to the picnic tables to sit around with their family.

"Okay, B," Jesse sighed once everyone was settled down. "You're up."

Every week, someone spoke before the meal. It was something like a prayer but not entirely, and Beca was up. They did it to remind themselves every week of why they were here, how they got here and what was always at stake. They did it so that every week started fresh, and no one took it for granted.

"Okay," she said, clearing her throat. "Well, I'm glad we're all here today. We've come through a lot together, and though no one else would really understand why we make these speeches each and every week, we understand because we know firsthand how quickly it can be snatched away. We no longer take time for granted, no matter how little it is, and we've spent our lives making every second count. We made it through a lot of obstacles as a family, including but not limited to almost killing each other on multiple occasions." Everyone chuckled as Jesse grinned at Aubrey. "Besides that, love always conquered all, and I'm grateful to have had so many amazing years with this family."

Everyone raised their glasses before taking a sip of their drink and beginning to eat. Halfway through the meal, six-year-old Marcus looked up.

"Uncle Beca," he said, and Jesse and the others sniggered as the child used the nickname that Jesse had drilled into his head for the captain. "Where's yours and Daddy's mommy and daddy?"

"Uh, we didn't have a mommy and daddy, Son," Jesse answered now.

The children gasped. "But why?"

"We-well, our mommies and daddies went far away."

"Mama," Liam said shakily now. "Are you and Mommy going far away?"

Beca smiled softly and ruffled his hair. "No, son," she assured him. "Mommy and I will always be right there. You see, our mommies and daddies had to go far away. They had something else to do, but see, we love you guys too much to leave you. Understand?" Liam nodded. "Good."

Chloe kissed her wife's temple lovingly. It was hard to believe that it was the same woman she had met seven years ago. Seven years ago, Beca Mitchell wouldn't comfort anyone. She was horrible with words, an impulsive ball of rage, and her actions usually didn't play out the way she intended them to, but now, her wife had become the most comforting and warm person on the planet for their children. It warmed Chloe's heart when she would come home late from work to find Beca curled up with all three children on the couch reading them a book or singing them a lullaby. When the twins were first born, it was common to come home and find all three cuddled on the couch or Beca's tiny body nestled in their playpen with them. It was a sight to see, and Chloe cherished every single one of those moments.

* * *

Later that night after the barbecue, Chloe did in fact enter their bedroom after a shower to find her four babies already fast asleep. Liam was curled into Beca's left side, Jackson's head rested between her head and her shoulder, and Brooklyn was curled atop her stomach. Their German Shepherd Jackal, named by Jackson and Liam, lay at the foot of the bed curled up with his head resting on Beca's leg. Chloe grinned widely and immediately began snapping photos. Yes, it was moments like these that made the redhead glad that she had given the brunette a chance all of those years ago. The tattoo on her arm remained, forever a remnant of the struggle they had endured. Chloe was just glad she didn't run for the hills upon first seeing the ink because then she would miss out on this. Beca used the tattoo to remind herself during every fight or argument, on every bad day why she was still fighting. She remembered how close to losing out on all of this she had been, and it pulled her back to her senses. A marking that once sucked her into darkness now pushed her into the light, and she never forgot who she was or where she came from again. She was Beca Beale-Mitchell. She was no saint. She was maybe even a sinner. She was no SWAT officer. She was no drug dealer. She was no gang member. She was no criminal. She was no killer. She was Beca Beale-Mitchell. She was Chloe Beale-Mitchell's personal badass and an idol to Liam Jacob Beale Mitchell, Jackson Rey Beale-Mitchell and Brooklyn Alexis Beale-Mitchell, and that was all she had ever strived to be. She just hadn't known it at the time.

Chloe gently slid into bed beside her family, and Liam immediately turned over to snuggled into her side. Beca's eyes fluttered, meeting her wife's which her illuminated by the moonlight streaming through the window.

"You took pictures, didn't you?" she grunted, and Chloe beamed.

"You already know," the redhead replied.

"Yeah, you're right. I do."

"It was so adorable though."

"My kids and I are badass, thank you."

"Of course, Baby. Keep telling yourself that."

"I will."

"Okay, go back to sleep."

"Yeah, yeah. I love you, Red."

"Oh, and I love you so much more, Brown."


End file.
